Kuroshitsuji: There Is Always Someone Stronger
by Legion'sKryme
Summary: Hell Hounds are said to be the hardest creatures known to demon kind to tame. Rarely has it ever been done by even the most powerful of demons. However, what happens when a Hell Hound is tamed by one hell of a butler? Follow Phobia as he learns what it is to be tamed, and just how far he will go to stand by his Tamer's side, and what he'll do to make his Tamer happy. Not Yaoi!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello and Welcome to 'There Is Always Someone Stronger'! I'll just have you know that there is cursing in the later chapters. Thought I'd get that out of the way now. **I'll give the disclaimer now: I DO NOT own anyone from Kuroshitsuji nor Kuroshitsuji II. The only ones I own are Phobia and Envy and anything that has to do with the two. **On that note, I'll also say this now: **I have made the concept of the Hell Hounds in this story only. The pack names, and how ranking work are of my own making. **I will warn you now, I am a POWER PLAYER, not God, but power. At some point he's going to seem overly strong or something. Don't like it? Stop or don't read it. Simple as that. Okay...I think that's the major stuff out of the way. Mmmmm, Okay! So, on to the story! Please rate or review, or even both._

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**Chapter One: His Guardian, A Hell Hound**

Ever since I joined the family, I had gone by the name of Phobia. But still, I am happy here even if most of the people I have to deal with are idiots. Only Sebastian is likable. I'd say I love him, but only in the sense of him being my Tamer and I the Tamed. That's what a Tamer-Tamed relationship does. It creates a bond so strong that it forms a sibling love between the two. I am a demon, a Hell Hound to be specific, just like Sebastian is. And, while I don't seem it, I'm actually a whole lot stronger than I seem to be. Hell hounds aren't the strongest demons out there, but they're not weak either. However, it's our bloodline that keeps us strong. In other words, what pack we come from, determines how strong we can get. The better the pack, the better possibility you have at becoming massively strong. Unknown to the others- seeing as I can't really tell them- I come from the highest Hell Hound pack there is. Those part of the pack call it Syn, for various reasons. From what I remember, some called it that because that is what the pack alpha's name was. Others said it was because of the crimes those from my pack normally ended up committing. But to be honest, I can't really remember after being out of hell for so long. Those outside the pack called it things that I never bothered to try and remember. Why remember, when you can't tell anyone? Why can't I tell anyone? Because I cannot speak. I was injured in the head when I was nothing but a pup, and it took my ability to speak like anyone else for the rest of my life. You'd think that someone as strong as I would be able to instantly heal from the injury, but for some odd reason it won't heal- or can't be healed. Or maybe I was born this way? Again, I can't really remember. Not that I've bothered to try to.

The color of my hair starts out as a dark red-maroon, almost black at the roots, and then as it works its way down to the tips of the hairs, it ends up a blood red. my sideburns are long, reaching about mid throat, while the rest of my hair has a spiky look to it, but not in a wild sense. my fringe is much long, so much so that if I tilt my head down just a bit my eyes are hidden. On my hands are what I guess you could call, 'bone claws. As they sprout from the tops of my wrists, and then follow the bones that make up my fingers yet cover the skin instead of being under it. They cover my fingers completely, and then go on up until the point that they are over all double the length of my fingers. the closer to the tips they get, the more black they become, where as where they sprout from is blood red. Luckily, they're retractable so that I can wear gloves to hide the claws as they only pull back far enough to be as long as a neatly trimmed human finger nail. I do have fangs as well, and they're quite long- honestly I don't know how they fit in my mouth, their tips stopping at the top of my lower gum. I cannot hide these though.

Anyways, the Syn pack is known to produce the strongest Hell Hounds in Hell. And, lo and behold, despite my inability to talk, I am the strongest out of the pack. That much I remember from Hell. Now now, I realize that you may think that not possible given that we've just met, but I implore you to keep an open mind. Half the time I'm holding back at least ninety eight of my true potential. Especially when at home. Still, I've finally found someone who can tame me without a second thought. Who? Sebastian of course. I know he hates me. I know this and I'm determined to show him that I am a good person, a good dog, a good demon. I can only show my liking of him through obedience, hopefully if I'm lucky that'll change. I can't talk or even write as you know, and of course he doesn't understand the sounds a dog makes. So what other way to show a Tamed's love than to stand by his side for the rest of my days? It's simple as that really. He's my brother now. End of story.

I still clearly remember the day that I came to meet Sebastian. For years I've lived in Houndsworth, having nowhere to go and no one to go to. Not only that, but I wanted my revenge. What revenge? The revenge on a man I found was named Henry Berrymore, the Lord of this town. He and the other humans of this place are cruel and unforgiving. They beat my mortal brothers and sisters into submission, thinking that that's how loyalty is won and given. None of them deserve to live; to know what life is really all about. So, one by one I set out to get rid of those I deemed worthy of death. It wasn't often that the humans would disobey Henry and become a 'bad dog' but when they did, I never got the chance to be the one to kill them. Henry always killed the 'bad dog' and blamed it on the Demon Dog, which admittingly is me. I didn't care though, all of them needed to die at one point or another. Still, as of then, I had only one job until I had the chance to kill Henry; keep dogs from eating other dogs. There are times when I'd find a starved dog being attacked by those that are full of health and luster. I'd chase them away, and help the starved dog as much as I could- whether it was through death by my fangs or through feeding him what I hunted down. And before I had met Sebastian, I had someone else to care for and protect.

Her name was Angela, a human girl with silver hair and a pale complexion. When I first came to this town, I was lost and sad and alone. However, Angela found me one day and cared for me. She showed me how humans work, and why they work that way. Then she showed me how the humans of Houndsworth worked, and why. I gave my loyalty to her, and her alone.

**FLASHBACK**

However, on the fateful day that I saw Sebastian, my loyalty to her was tested. He was, and still is, beautiful in every sense of the word. Slightly long black hair with fringe that falls into his face in a neat yet sloppy fashion, red eyes that scream power and beauty all in one. The scent of Hell was still fresh on him, but I could tell that he had been in this world for more than just a month or so. I wonder what color his eyes really are? Like Angela, his complexion is pale, but with a slight ashen tint that I hadn't ever really seen before. I also saw the boy he served, as the boy smelled like the demon butler, and still does, as though they were lovers. The cart behind them held four people, with an old man being the forth and the driver. There was a maid with red hair and glasses. A young man with orangish hair and turquoise eyes, and another man with blonde hair and stubble- he smelled(s) of tobacco. I didn't know what they were in Houndsworth for, but I sure as hell wanted to know the man clad in black with red eyes- as I knew him as back then.

They spent their nights there at Henry's home, which made things both harder and easier for me. Harder because then I wouldn't be able to see Angela. Easier because then I could track the beautiful stranger with greater ease. I didn't know what they had been talking about, nor, did I really care for the most part. All I cared about was as I had mentioned; Angela and the stranger.

One night however, things started to get more exciting for me. You see, I finally found the chance to take care of Henry once and for all. The perfect timing really. I didn't want to do it in front of the beautiful stranger or even Angela, so with Henry in a dungeon, I had my chance. Tonight is that night of chance. In my demon form, I slink as lowly to the ground as I possibly can towards where I know my target is. I can hear his wailing from here. A low rumbling comes from my throat as his wailing becomes louder. What a poor imitation of a dog's howl. Red eyes narrow and I leap nimbly onto the roof of the cell in which Henry wails from. With a grunt and a smash of my paw, a hole is formed that I fall through. There's a shrill scream that belongs to my target.

"W-What are you?! The Demon Dog has come to get me!" He turns and jerks at the bars of the cell like an enraged monkey. "Let me out! Please, let me out!" He turns to face my massive form, and I show him teeth that yearn for his blood. "Nooooooo!" He cries as my jaws clamp onto his tiny form. My hold on him is firm but not life threatening, it's not time for that. His tiny hands slam against my jaw, but there's no point in doing so. The rain patters on my body, drenching my fur as I throw the man against the wall that he had tied so many of my mortal brothers and sisters to. He grunts and scrambles to press his back closer to this wall. Another low rumble comes from my throat like it does from the sky above. "Please, Lord Demon Dog, have mercy!" The human screams out, holding out a hand to me; his right to be specific.

If I could talk, I'd laugh in his face. However, I can't. So I stick with still growling. I look to the hand that's reached out to me, and then to his terrified face. And then quick as lightning, my jaws latch onto his hand, biting through and breaking bones with a simple clench. He screams, but I waste no time in waiting to see how long it takes him to die. That scream will attract someone. Besides, even as he tries to staunch the blood, I know that he'll die from blood loss and shock of the pain. Just like everyone else that I've managed to kill has. So, it's time to return to the place I call home. I jump over the wall easily and escape into the night. My home is the swamp that no one dares to go near. No one save for Angela that is. It's the place I woke up to when I found myself in this world. Other than Houndsworth, I know nothing of the outside world.

With a huff, I put down the hand and take to my half naked human form, claws extended as I please. The only thing on my person is a pair of baggy red pants that loosely hang around my hips with the help of a draw string. I ignore the rain that now soaks my hair and skin, demons can't get sick like humans can. Still, I have some decorating to do. In my visits to Angela's home, I often saw Henry having many dog heads on his wall like some sort of trophy. So, I do the same with the hands that I've managed to take within the month of being here. I sniff around for a spot that would work, and nod to myself when the hand is placed in a proper spot. After that, I sleep, my body shifting to its demon form and my tail covering my nose to keep it warm.

The next day turns out to be night for me, which honestly isn't a surprise. Why? Because due to my curiosity of the black clad stranger, Sebastian as I found out a day ago, I often sleep during the day and am awake at night. I can't follow him around town after all. They'll figure out who and what I am. But, I don't feel like trying to hunt down Sebastian tonight. No...I haven't seen Angela in a while. Time to visit her. Getting into the mansion is something simple for me, even if I did make a bit more noise than I usually do. Still, a bright smile comes to me when I see her.

"Phobia!" She calls quietly as we meet in her room, arms wide for a hug which I gladly give her. This causes her to topple over and let me lay on top of her. She giggles as I lick her hands and arms where I can, and along the top of her chest and collarbone and neck. I guess one of my fangs accidentally nicked her because, "No, be gentle," she tells me. And so I am. I guess I did something right, because when I lick her neck at a certain point, she lets out this very interesting squeak that I'd never heard her before. I stop, and tilt my head at her. "No, nothing's wrong," she sits up with me and runs a hand through my hair. I smile wider, a fang popping over my lip. Good, there's nothing wrong according to her so everything is fine. However, it's not there that I end up sleeping by the end of the night, as I decide it's time to go before Sebastian smells my scent lingering around. I leave in the middle of the night. Oddly enough, even as I decide to take a nap, I hear a wailing that reminds me of a dog's howling. However, I know it's not.

My nap isn't at all too long to be honest, however no matter as I feel restless. It's foggy as it normally is around the swamp at this time of day. I feel no reason to hide myself. That is, until I smell four humans in my territory. For now, I'll let it slide; they belong to Sebastian and his Master and they are innocent. However, that doesn't mean I won't have my fun. I sniff at Henry's hand that I had put down the other day, seemingly not listening to the humans, but I know they're there.

"Is that...?" One of the males asks.

"That's Lord Henry's hand!" The girl gasps out.

"But who is that?" The youngest male wonders.

"I don't know but it's a full front shocker!~" The girl swoons. I smell blood. I lick my lips as I wonder what her life liquid would taste like."Well, at least we know for sure that Angela isn't part of this".

"Angela?" The smoker wonders.

"That's right! Leave Angela out of this! She's done nothing wrong," the boy tells the girl.

Okay, now they're getting annoying. My red orbs turn to look at the group, however at the last moment they hide. I was going to go see just who they were, however I'm stopped by a massive cloud of dust approaching the lot of us. Shit. Humans. My eyes narrow and I'm out of there like a bat out of Hell. However, I know that the humans will look for me. They've seen me once, they'll want to make sure that I'm real. I lick my lips again before shifting and blending in with the fog around me. Heh, I knew it, they did follow me. My eyes narrow again and a low rumble comes from my chest. The fog clears to show my massive multi-tailed form. In my demon form, I am a rather large beast, being twice the size of a large carriage I think. My fur is on the complicated side of things, seeing as my fur is multi colored. Most of my body is turquoise, however my legs up until the joints that connect them to the body are all black, and my ears have black tips. My ten tails, go from turquoise, fade to red, and then finally to white at the very tips. My eyes are still red. I am a Hell Hound, however my body shape is that of a wolf. Most, it seems, mistake me as a dog around here. Idiots.

"Ahh! The Demon Dog is real!" One of the three screams, and I open my mouth, fire dancing on my tongue.

With a rumble, I launch myself towards them, intent on taking them down simply for being annoying. They scream again, however the youngest male seems to have some guts as he attempts to take me down by holding onto my leg. However, that's nothing for me as easily I shake him off my leg and send him flying onto his back. I growl and push myself to my back legs, and ready for the killing blow. However, my paw is stopped by a white clad hand, and I'm honestly surprised.

"Oh? You truly are good at the 'shake hands' command," he man answers, and I try to push down harder. Well this is surprising. He must be a bit higher than me in the demon food chain.

"Sebastian?!" The humans call as one.

"But it really is a bit too heavy!" Sebastian ignores the humans, and next thing I know, I'm being thrown back and into the air. I land on all four paws and lower my head in annoyance. I may like the way he smells- wait...Smells? That smells just like...I bark and wag my tail. Going from dangerous to a happy pup in seconds. "Oh? You must smell what I have," from behind his back, he pulls a box of dog treats. And not just any kind, but Inukko! I let out a bark again, and I feel drool drip down my face without a care. "The way to tame a dog is through trust and strengthening their loyalty. In other words, the carrot and stick method," the man speaks up, "First, the carrot". He leaps onto my face and begins to nibble my nose. I admit that it feels rather good, and therefore I can't help but stop and enjoy it. "Now, the stick!" Next thing I know, my head is getting slammed into the ground. "Carrot! Stick! Carrot! Stick! Stick! Stick! Aaaannnd...Big hug!" You know you're confused about your feelings when you can't decide whether or not to be pissed about getting love and then suddenly a beating or not. But I've gotta admit. That even as I lay in my new owner's arms, I can't help but feel as though this right. He was meant to tame me. I hold my arms up close to my chest, wrists bent like my paws would be if I were in this position. I'm actually quite comfy. Honestly, I don't know why I held back...I blame the treats and my interest in this guy.

"Phobia!" I know that voice anywhere. I grin and bark out to her, running on all fours to Angela. I lick her face in greeting, and if I had a tail in this form it'd be wagging.

"Phobia?" The humans intone. Later, when we're all settled down as Angela's hand is running through my hair as I rest my head on her lap, the lot of them are talking. I'm just finding pleasure in being petted by Angela. However, I can't help but hope that Sebastian will one day pate me like Angela does.

"I found this little guy about a month ago. I love dogs, but I didn't want Lord Henry catching wind of him because I knew what would happen. I just didn't expect that he'd do anything like he did," Angela explains. "Lord Ciel. Please, is there any way you can take him to your manor? If he's under Sebastian's tutelage, I'm sure he'll learn quickly to become a proper dog".

"I don't think-," Sebastian tries, and I feel my heart sink. Did I do something wrong to make him not want me to come along with him?

"Actually, I wouldn't mind doing that at all," the one known as Ciel smiles out.

"But, my Lord, you know that I don't-," Sebastian doesn't look happy at all.

"He needs proper training. And you never know, it could be fun...In more ways than one. From now on Sebastian, he's yours to handle," Ciel smirks out. I hear this of course, as I hadn't really been asleep, and beam to the human before getting up and wrapping my arms around his smaller form and begin to lick his face into oblivion. I may not like much about this boy, but for one Sebastian likes him. And two, he's letting me come home with him! That means I don't have to be away from my new Master.

It's around sunset that we're leaving, and I've been ordered that from now on, I have to stand on two legs when in public when in my human form. I don't know what public is just yet, but I figure I'll find out in due time. I hold especially still for Angela, as she hugs me and places a kiss on my cheek.

"Don't forget about me, okay Phobia?" She kiss my cheek, and I smile.

"While you're at it, put some clothing on for god's sake! No one wants to see you jingling all around all the time!" The blonde tobacco man, Bard, demands of me. I'd tell him what happens with me and clothing if I could, but I can't. And this is one of those times where I really do wish I could talk or at least write.

**FLASHBACK END**

It's been about two months since I came to Phantomhive household and have become one with my new pack. In all reality, we're just a bunch of misfits being lead by a child who apparently is looking for revenge against those who killed him and forced him into promising his soul to Sebastian in the first place. It is a nice place here, even though Sebastian still hasn't warmed up to me in the first place. Which is completely and utterly unfair! I'm a good dog! Really I am! I sleep outside like he tells me to, and I do whatever else it is he orders me to complete. One time, I even rounded up Bard, Meirin and Finny upon his command and brought them back right away without roughing them too much. If that doesn't make me a good dog, I don't know what does.

Ciel seems to put up with me and my antics, as most of the time I can't help but wander around the grounds happily. The grounds are huge! And I love it. Still, I remember that at the beginning of last month- it's the beginning of the third month I've been here- he started to try something.

**FLASHBACK**

"Hold still Phobia," Sebastian tells me as he dresses me into a black and white suit, "And stand on two feet. You've been summoned by Ciel and I don't want you coming to him so indecently. Do you understand you ungrateful mutt?"

I understand completely. And to show him that I do, I slip from his hold and give him a happy lick on the cheek and then rub my face along his shoulder.

"You're completely helpless, I swear. I don't understand why you can't just be something as divine as a cat," he sighs and dries his face off with a cloth. "Now come, the Lord is waiting".

Of course, I listen to him like the trained dog I am. The room we come in to is apparently Ciel's office, as he's sitting behind a desk and working on something. From what I've learned in my two months of being here, I've learned many things such as what room is what. A kitchen is where food is. A study is where books normally are. A ball room is where people dance. And a parlor is where people normally walk into the mansion and find the main set of stairs and doorways after walking through the front door. Bedrooms are where people sleep, and closets are where people keep their clothing. A dining room is where people eat unless you're Ciel because I've seen him eat many in all sorts of different rooms other than the one mentioned- though he does eat there too.

"Good. You've brought him. How are you Phobia?" He talks to me, and I let out a bark, but fight the urge to rush to him on all fours and lick his face. Sebastian wouldn't be happy if I did that for some reason. "Good. I have an idea that may help you learn how to at least speak so that we may understand you better. This'll make life easier for everyone". But...I was hurt. I can't talk at all. Damn, I wish I could tell him that. "You see, from this point on, you'll be attending speech classes as Sebastian as your tutor. He will teach you all that you need to know in order to put you at the mental capacity I think you're supposed to be in by now".

"My Lord, I must request that you reconsider. If the mutt had the ability to learn at all, don't you think that he would have at least tried by now?" Sebastian persists despite my immediate consent.

"Yes, but there's the possibility that he had never been taught to talk for whatever reason. So now it's your job to do so. This is an order; teach him to speak the human language. Do I make myself clear?" Ciel's only visible eye narrows dangerously.  
Sebastian glares at the young Master, but bows all the same, hand over his heart, "Yes, my Lord".

"Good. Don't come back to me about it until you've succeeded," the boy states.

"And if I fail?"

"You won't. You're one hell of a butler after all," he mockingly shoos us off after that.

"Come Phobia," the butler demands. I can hear his voice wants to snarl, and his hands probably want to ball into fists but they don't. The only time he shows anger, is when we're out of the room. The anger on his face is something I don't like to see at all, so I whimper and grab at his forearm to get his attention. His pissed look turns to me, and he pulls his arm from my hold harshly. "Please refrain from touching me at the moment," he requests, and then leads the way into an empty room. It turned out to be my learning room over the weeks.

**FLASHBACK END**

To say that it was hard to even begin to form the sounds of letters, is an understatement. However, Sebastian was diligent and patient as he could be with me as every day we would work on my issue. I had to learn the alphabet- the gathering of all the letters in the English language apparently- first by what the letters looked like, as admittingly I didn't know how to read. That took a few days but after those days I managed to get it down without an issue. It took two weeks of even harder training to get me to sound out the letters, let alone the most basic of words. However, at it turned out it became easier and easier if Sebastian sounded out the letter three times first, and then let me give it a go.

Amazingly enough, I began speaking words- actual words- this, the third, month. Yesterday in fact. It was an amazing feeling, for me to be able to form words in my mouth and then speak them without issue. I can't form what Sebastian calls sentences yet, but after going over things with Ciel he and Sebastian decided that sentences will come as time goes on. I'm understandable enough that I can guide someone around with the manors my Master has also beaten into me, as well as hold a simple conversation. It's not that I don't know the words that are needed to help me become more understandable, it's that I don't know how to form them. Doesn't make sense? Sorry, I'm still getting through the 'explaining' thing that people seem to have to have half the time.

Today is a very important day for the household of Phantomhive. You see, during all the troubles of me learning how do speak, many things have happened. There was this one time where Ciel and Sebastian let me come off of Phantomhive's grounds for the first time. And although I was excited, I managed to keep my wits about me. A lot happened on that day, what with some weird blue ring being fought over, and Sebastian creating a Noah's Arc- whatever that is- out of ice in a competition. It was funny to see Sebastian ice skate as he told me that's what it was after I asked him. And while the human that was our enemy kept Sebastian busy, I made sure that Ciel was safe and sound. I knew that Sebastian wouldn't be happy with me if I let his Master get hurt. Not long after that, though, something more interesting came along. Ciel's mate, Lizzy, had been kidnapped by some stranger that smelled much like Angela, which although I found weird, I did not find unwelcome. I still have issues discriminating between people without their scents, so I know no better.

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_So uhhhh, the first chapter! Let me know how you like it and what not please~ If you any questions feel free to ask through PMing me or simply writing a review. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Alrighty then! Before I start blabbering, I just want to say thank you to hyperspeak who was kind enough to review my story and say some nice things. Here's chapter two. Seeing as I haven't updated in a good while- I didn't want to crack out all the chapters (the story's already finished on my computer) without at least someone showing some interest- I'll be posting chapter three as well. Uhh...Okay I didn't blabber as much as I figured I would but no matter! On to the story!~_

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Today we're off to a murder scene that the whole pack was brought to London for. I was going to be left behind, but after a few moments of begging in my broken up speech, I managed to get Ciel to take me with him. I'm dressed in something similar to Sebastian's wear, but not in the form of a butler uniform. Just in that it's the same colors. I'm just wearing a black and white tuxedo at the moment.

"You'd best behave, Phobia," Ciel warns me as I walk at his left and Sebastian at his right.

"I good," I assure him. As it turns out, my voice is a whole lot lower than it is when I bark or howl. I'd say it's a tad bit higher than Sebastian's but otherwise I can't really say. All I know, is that it's lower than when I act as I used to. I run a hand where Angela had kissed me, remembering the feeling of her lips touching my skin. I can't say I miss her too much, if I'm being honest. I liked her a lot, however, I like my new pack much more.

"Good boy," Ceil smirks with a nod. What we come up to is a crowd being held back by many men clad in black and white. But their clothing isn't like mine or Sebastian's. No, they have weird hats and sticks at their sides.

I don't know who or why they're holding back the normal people, so of course I ask. "Who are they?" I look at one of the oddly dressed men, talking to whom ever is willing to tell me what's going on.

"Those are police men. Good guys," Ciel tells me as he easily weaves his way through the crowd. The good guys don't stop him, nor Sebastian or myself even.

"So it seems that various food market people are being killed like this then?" Ciel reads over the arm of a young human man with russet colored hair. "And it also looks like as usual that Scotland Yard doesn't have a clue as to just what is going on. Am I correct?"

"Brat! What are you doing here?" A man with tied back black hair demands. My nose scrunches; he smells like anger and loathing. Why does he hate my Master's Master so much I wonder?

"The Queen has heard of an uproar such as this and worries that it may be the various Indians that have made their way into the country by different means. She is also worried about the well being of the people, seeing as this is the third time something like this has happened to such a large corporation," Ciel tells the man. "And as I said, you seem to not know what's going on either; not even one possible culprit. Come Sebastian, Phobia, we're leaving".

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian states, and turns to follow the boy.

"Master," I speak after him, quickly catching up to the two. Once at a good enough distance away, I decide to let my innocent self ask questions. "Why black hair hate Master?" I've come to call Ciel as such due to the fact that it seems to please Sebastian. I'd call him 'Master' as well, but last time I tried to he made me sleep outside. I don't understand why he'd do that, but he did and I can't stand the thought of being away from him. After all, I sleep at the foot of Sebastian's bed half the time- though it's not uncommon for me to find myself at the foot of Ceil's bed the next morning. Now, if only I could get my mouth to form the word 'Tamer' that'd be much more proper.

"That man is the head of Scotland Yard. He hates me because as the Queen's Watchdog, I'm constantly stepping on his toes and taking over his job as a detective," Ceil tells me without a care.

"Master is good Dog though," I tell him, brows furrowed.

"Do not refer to Ciel as a canine, Phobia," Sebastian reprimands me.

"Sorry," I state, head bowed and lips turned into a frown. I was just trying to compliment him. Is that so wrong?

"Don't be so cruel to him, Sebastian," Ciel states with a smirk, "I'm sure he means well. Don't you Phobia?"

"Aarf!" I beam to him, smiling widely.

"Ahh my rib!" A man dressed in rags and a dirty cloak cries out as Master accidentally bumps into him making them both stumble back. "Somebody, please help! Oh the pain!" He is tan in skin color, something I've never seen before so he's quite odd to me. However, it seems that there are lots like him. My brows furrow as other tan skinned people begin to gather around us.

"You better be ready to pay for compensation," another man dressed in rags tells my Master with a...I think that's what's called a sneer. I'm not completely sure though.

"Get ready to leave everything you have here," the man who claimed to be hurt demands. I don't like the sound of his voice at all, so my red eyes narrow and my upper lip pulls back to show fangs.

"Excuse me my good fellows, but we're looking for this woman. You wouldn't happen to be able to tell us if you've seen her, would you?" Another tan skinned person comes along. But his clothing is like a weird version of ours; nice but super colorful. I've never seen anything before. And what's that collar he's got hanging loosely around his neck? It's much too shiny for my liking.

"We can't deal with you right now, we have someone to deal with," someone states to the boy.

"We have an issue here?" He asks and looks us over, "I'm afraid I'll have to side with my countrymen then. Agni, take care of them".

So many tan skinned people...Still, this one has white hair whereas the one with the weird collar has purple hair. "Jo anja. My right hand is blessed by our goddess herself," the man speaks up, and then goes on to attack Sebastian.

My eyes widen at the human's speed, but still I focus on Ciel as I know that that would make Sebastian happy with me. I pick the small human boy up so that he's cradled in my arms and move him out of the way of the white haired man. I snarl as I duck under a random fist from one of the poor looking men, and lash out with a kick of my own to his face. "Hold on," I tell Ciel as I jump above three oncoming people, and roughly land on two of their heads, then roughly kick the third. Like I said in the beginning of this whole story. I'm not stupid, nor am I weak, I just can't- well, couldn't- talk.

"I can't believe this; we were just walking through here and then this happened," Ciel speaks up as I spin around another angry tan man.

"Wait...So, they just suddenly attacked you?" The young tan man speaks up, and the fight stops for a moment to look at him. "It seems my countrymen are in the wrong this time...Agni, take care of them".

"Jo anja," the man replies and moments later the issue is settled.

We waste no time making our way home at all once I've set Ciel down on his own two feet. "You were a good boy today, Phobia," the boy speaks up to me, and I can't help but beam.

"Good boy?" I ask, going to my knees and wrapping my arms around his smaller form.

"Yes," he pats my head even though I can hear the annoyance in his voice. "Perhaps I should keep you around more often. Make you my personal Guardian. How'd you like that?"

"Sir, I don't think that's a good idea. He's still got a long way to go until he's truly ready to come in contact with all the sorts of people you deal with. What will you do if suddenly he shifts into his demon form and causes havoc?" Sebastian protests with a sigh.

"Phobia good boy!" I insist, turning to hug him with a happy grin. "I no change," I assure him as I nibble on his shoulder and cling to his side, my fangs gently piercing the fabric of his suit. "Lest told," I continue and lift myself higher on his form to give him a swift lick on his cheek.

"I still say no. I'm more than enough to protect you, my Lord," Sebastian looks to the young human.

"Come now, Phobia is useful unlike the others. We can we not let him help?" Ciel states, "Yes. From now on, he'll be my personal Guardian. This'll also allow you to keep to your butler duties much more often. It'll also keep him out of trouble. This argument is finished".

Sebastian sighs before nodding and bowing as I've seen him do so many times before nodding, "If that is your wish, so be it. However, I will now take my leave to prepare dinner".

"Ahh, that sounds wonderful actually," a sudden voice speaks up, his tone care free. I tilt my head at the human that constantly smells of the woman flanking him.

"Lau? I've told you before: If you're going to visit, send a letter in advance at least," Ciel huffs out.

"Oh? You've told me that before? How odd, I can't seem to remember," the man smiles.

"Well, seeing as we have a guest now, I'll go make some tea," Sebastian moves to excuse himself.

"That sounds wonderful," a slightly familiar voice speaks up from the door, "I prefer an English brew myself". All eyes turn to the tan men that suddenly appeared in the fight earlier today.

"You?! What are you doing here?!" Ciel shouts out, surprised and obviously unhappy. If he's unhappy, then so am I. After all, I'm his Guardian now.

"Intruders?" I growl out lightly in the form of a question to the boy.

"Yes but...Not hostile," he tells me, making me back down.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ciel demands.

"I met these two around the corner; they said they wanted to meet the earl," Lau casually inputs.

"This is Prince Soma, I am Agni," the which haired man speaks up.

"In my country, it's commonsense for someone who is in debt to another person to return the favor in kindness," Soma casually tells my Master, walking towards the stairs. "You're not going to be a rude Englishman and throw me out onto the streets, are you?"

"...No...Sebastian, show them to their rooms," Ciel sighs out. "Phobia, as my new Guardian, you are to follow me everywhere unless I say so. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," the butler bows out, and turns away.

"Understand, Master," I nod out with an award winning smile.

In another room, with Lau and Ciel speaking while Sebastian is away, I can't help but sit like the dog I am next to my Master's chair, a beaming smile spread across my face as one of his hands rubs my head casually. "It seems odd that they suddenly turned up wanting to meet with you," Lau points out. "Hanging those people would be all too easy for that white haired one- Agni".

"Yes, but it wouldn't make sense for the culprits to just suddenly come up to me and give themselves away. Still, it does scream 'suspicious' in multiple ways," Ciel admits with a sigh. "Plus, they seem to be looking for someone as opposed to trying to lay low".

"That's true as well. Well, I'm going to turn in for the night. Good night, Earl~," Lau waves out.

"They have been put to bed, my Lord," Sebastian walks in moments after Lau left, and I beam to him and his incredulous look that he gives Ciel and I. "He seems to have taken a liking to you," he lightly smiles out.

"Sebastian happy?" I ask with a tilt of my head.

"So long as you behave, I am pleased. It's a bonus that you're behaving for our Lord," he tells me.

"Sebastian happy, I happy," I tell him without a second thought and full of devotion to him. I don't notice that he slumps at my words.

"It seems that you're still number one on his list, though," Ciel chuckles out. "How unfair, no?" He looks down at me and then purses his lips, "Does he know how to bathe himself like a normal person yet?"

"Bath?" I ask, standing and pulling myself from Ciel's palm. I don't like baths. Can't I just wait until it rains, and get clean that way?

"Yes, mutt, bath. Seeing as you'll be dealing with normal humans from now on, you must bathe regularly. Do you understand?" Sebastian explains commandingly.

I sigh, shoulders slumping, "Understand," I whimper out with another sigh.

"Good dog. Now, go take a bath and ready yourself for bed. You'll be sleeping only in Ciel's room from now on," he continues, pointing towards the door.

I let out a low humming whine to show that I'm not happy about this, and that I don't like it but will do it all the same just for my fellow demon. But still, I exit the room and head for Ciel's private quarters, entering the bathroom and filling up the tub with arm water. I rid myself of the suit I had been wearing, and slowly step into the bath with an irritated growl, "Why me?" I mumble to myself. Soon enough, I'm sitting in the bath and scrubbing at my skin like I've been taught to, crinkling my nose at the scent of the soap and shampoo as they don't smell right to me. I figure that after a while I'll get used to it. But until then, I doubt that I will. Once out of the tub, I stand on the mat and fall to all fours before promptly shaking my form dry of all the water I can, and then force myself to two feet to dry myself with a towel. Acting human is so tedious. Once that is one, I look around to see a simple pair of bed clothing black in color. It smells like Sebastian had decided to put clothing in here for me. I dress into the stuff but don't put the shirt on so I'm just wearing pants. Once more I fall to all fours, not feeling like playing human for the time being, and let out a bark of greeting to Sebastian and my Master.

"Get up here," Ciel motions to the foot of the bed and I race to do as he commands, easily jumping onto the bed and curling up as need be. I fall asleep before anyone can bother to even get me up and out of bed.


	3. Chapter 3

What I wake up to is not the familiar scent of Sebastian, nor the familiar sound of his footsteps. But instead the new scent and sound of Agni. I don't like that he's come into my Master's room without his his say so, so I sit up and glare at the human. I know that this human thinks I'm just an odd person; I can see it in his eyes. But he still thinks I'm human in the first place so I can't completely act like my instincts tell me to- growl and snap at him that is.

"What you think you doing?" I demand with a glare.

"O-oh! Phobia, I'm just walking up Master Ciel," the man states.

"Sebastian only wake," I tell him, standing protectively over Ciel's body, my hands gripping the edge of the bed.

"Mmmmmnnn," Ciel stirrs and I look down at him with alert eyes. "Phobia, what are you doing?"

"Agni try to wake. Only Sebastian wake," I tell him simply and watch as Ciel's only open eye widens at the sight of the tanned man.

"What do you think you're doing here?" He demands.

"Simply getting you ready for the day is all," Agni insists, and I huff. Yea, okay.

"Come on Little One! We it's time to go; as our host you should show us around," Soma pops up and begins to carry Ciel to his bedroom door. Said door opens out of no where, without Soma's doing.

"O-oi! Put me down this instant! And my name isn't 'Little One' it's Ciel, get it right!" The young Master protests.

"I'm very sorry, but Bocchan has studies and work to do today," Sebastian speaks up, taking our Master from Soma's arms and holding him in his own. "Please excuse us. Phobia, please help the gentlemen out of the room".

"Aye. Come," I tell the two, grabbing each of their arms and leading them out of Ciel's room. That done, I re-enter the room and sit down on the foot of the bed as Sebastian dresses the boy. After that, we have breakfast, me still working on my table manors and the others keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't just stuff my face in the bowl before me. Which, honestly, it's hard not to. After that, Sebastian, Ciel and I are found in a wide open room. Ciel has a weird metal thing in front of him with paper on it, and in his hands are two weird wooden things- one thin and the other fat. Sebastian also has one of the long sticks in his hand. And then, pretty music begins to play through out the room. It takes me a moment, but by the looks of things, it's coming from Ciel's fat wooden thing. "That?" I ask, pointing to the thing.

"That's a violin, Phobia," Sebastian states, "It makes music if played properly".

"Vi-lin?" I sound out, and make him sigh.

"Vi-o-lin," he states again.

"Violin," I state, apparently saying it right. I beam and listen to the pretty music, only for my head to tilt as a sudden sound that doesn't fit enters the air. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Ciel demands, looking to Soma and Agni as they rub their hands and bow continuously in front of a weird...Statue I think it's called. He's ignored until the humming stops.

"There, now that our praying is done, we can go about today with no issues," Soma smiles out, not bothering to answer Ciel.

"Prayers?" I ask. What are those?

"Yup! Prayers. This here is the Goddess of our home, Kali, wife of Shiva and hunter of demons. It's said that at one point, she was filled with so much power that she went on a rampage, and she'd kill demon after demon. After a while, this rampage became too much, and in order humble her, Shiva let her over take him. Realizing that she placed her dirty foot on her beloved husband, she calmed down completely," Agni explains. Didn't answer my question, but no matter I guess. I'll find out what prayers are on my own.

"Anyways, let's go out now, Little One!" Soma presses again with a smile.

"No, I have things to do," my Master turns down. "And I told you, my name's not 'Little One'!"

Next thing I know, I'm watching as Ciel and Sebastian do something with metal sticks that I was told is called fencing. It's a game. Two opponents spar one another in an attempt to poke one another with different types of jabs. Each part of the body means a point, and if one person gets a certain amount of points, they win the match.

"Ugggghhhh. Are you done yet?" Soma whines as he lays on his stomach on the floor.

"Shut up, we're trying to concentrate," Ciel bluntly states.

"But this is so boring!" Soma whines.

"Fine, why don't we have a little match?" Ciel offers with a smirk, tossing his foil- as apparently that's what it's called- to Soma.

"Now this is something to do!"

"Good luck!" Agni calls out as he pours Soma some tea.

As Sebastian stands between the two to start the match, the tan man- apparently he's from a place called 'India' and therefore he's an 'Indian'- shows that he oddly enough has some good speed for a human. But when he tries to slash at Ciel, the foil bends. "What?"

"There's no point in hitting somewhere you know won't work," Ciel taunts.

"I don't know the rules!" Soma continues.

"Then you shouldn't of accepted," the boy replies, going in for the 'kill'.

"Master, look out!" Agni suddenly speaks up from where he is, and rushes forward. I don't think stepping in is part of the rules, but if he can do it, then so can I. I rush forward from my own spot and scoop up my own Master before he can become harmed.

"Huh?" Had he expected one of us to let him get hurt?

"Is Master okay?" I ask him as he put him down on two feet.

"...Yes...Thank you Phobia," he pats my head, and I grin, letting out a light bark.

"F-Forgive me Master Ciel! When I saw that Prince Soma was going to get hurt, my body acted on its own!" Agni insists.

"Oh? Looks like one of the guardians is going to have to take revenge~," Lau suddenly speaks up, casually flinging one of the foils in Sebastian's direction.

"Very well," Sebastian sighs out, "Let's get this over with. We're already over ten minutes behind schedule".

"You're just upset about that, aren't you?" Ceil taunts from my side.

"No matter...," Sebastian falls into a stance, "Let's get this started". I'm not even going to try to tell you everything that happens during the spar, as already you can tell that it'd be epic. However, I will tell you that when they went for the killing blows, it was the same attack, and the tips of the foils met perfectly. The foils then bent and then snapped, leaving the dual at a draw. While Sebastian catches his broken foil tip, I catch Agni's as it was headed for Ciel's head. It wouldn't of been harmful, but no matter.

Later that night, after Agni had been so kind as to help make dinner and after Soma had fallen asleep, Sebastian and I find ourselves on the roof of the building. We watch as Agni leaves the mansion as though in a hurry. My crimson eyes narrow and a light growl comes from my chest as I crouch next to my favorite person whilst ignoring the cold. Demons don't get bothered by the cold.

"No like Agni stalking alone," I state.

"Follow him, Phobia, once we've told Ciel about this," Sebastian tells me. "Go in your demon form; we'll follow your paw prints".

"Aye," I nod out, and we move to sit over the roof of the Master's room window- a window that's open despite the cold outside.

Side by side to Sebastian with gravity working its magic on our hair, I speak first, "Master".

"He's on the move, my Lord," Sebastian states.

"Very well. Let's follow him," Ciel answers.

"Cold out," I tell him.

"Take your time, Phobia will be following him in his demon form while we follow his paw prints once you are dressed," the black haired demon states.

"Let me go too!" A voice, which turns out to Soma's, speaks up as he opens up Ciel's door with a slam. I'm still not too good with my manors, but I'm pretty sure that you're supposed to knock before entering. "I know that Agni has been leaving when I fall asleep. I want to see where he's been going to".

"Go now Phobia," Ciel tells me.

"Aye," I tell him, and let myself fall from the roof and land in the snow on all fours before heading out of sight and then shifting. I let the scent of food, a different place, and blood come to me and follow it. Where I end up is a place that I feel I must wait to enter until the others come to me. It doesn't take them much time at all.

"Where are they Phobia?" Ciel demands.

"House," I point in the direction of the wall, knowing that they'd get the idea.

"He's in there?" Soma asks, "Who's place is that?"

"Harold West's. He owns a corporation that's large on food goods such as restaurants, grocery stores and the like," Ciel tells him. "And he has an excellent reason as to why he would kill those reported. They all were his competition- though he still has a few left- and with them gone his business can expand massively".

"What do you want us to do then?" Sebastian asks of our Master.

"I want to know what Agni and that guy are talking about," Soma states.

"Looks like we're going in then. Sebastian, let's go," Ciel states. "Phobia, you take Lau and Soma".

"Aye Master," I state and scoops the two humans up, throwing them both over my shoulders like potato sacks. I follow after Sebastian, ignoring the whining both are doing about my nakedness. When we land, I put them down right away and we head into the mansion by way of tip toeing. I lead the way to where I smell Agni to be, and then from our hiding place we listen.

"Would you like some scotch, Agni? It's some of the finest through out the world," a voice speaks up. I don't like it already. We see a hand offer Agni a glass, but he doesn't take it. "Still, I'm very proud of you. With so little competition to deal with, my company will end up on top for sure! Keep it up, and you'll get your reward".

"Meena. Is she-" Agni tries, only to be interrupted by Soma himself.

"What about Meena?! Where is she?!"

"That idiot! We have to-," Ciel's mout is covered by Sebastian's hand.

"Both your face and mine are well known around here. Let's just watch for a while," he suggests.

"I too?" I point to myself with a tilt of my head.

"No, you're our ace in the hole. Be read if needed," Sebastian orders.

"Aye," I nodd out.

"Prince Soma!" Agni cries out in surprise.

"Who is this idiot?" Harold demands.

"Agni! Put this man in his place! Let's go find Meena together!" Soma states with a wave of his hand. However, Agni obviously struggles. I can smell the sorrow rolling off of him.

"Agni, get rid of this brat, or the deal is off," Agni's body jolts again.

"A-Agni...? You wouldn't hurt me would you?" Soma steps back, surprised. I smell blood, and then see tears made of the red stuff. I didn't know that was possible. But apparently it is.

"P-please...Forgive me!" Agni's right hand glows blue as he unwraps it and begins to attack.

"We can't just let him get harmed," Ciel wiggles in Sebastian's hold.

"I know. Phobia, go save Soma," Sebastian demands. "But don't hurt Agni".

"Aye," I nod out, and rush my way through the door, pulling Soma out of the way and tossing him over my shoulder.

"Mother of God! Why are you naked?!" The blonde man that turned out to be Harold shields his eyes.

"You?!" Agni states. Why doesn't he just use my name? I don't mind.

"Agni no hurt Soma," I tell him with a growl.

"I'm sorry, but I've been given an order!" Agni states and attacks once more.

"Bad dog!" I tell him as I dodge. "Good dogs no bite hand feeds them! Agni bad dog!" I ignore the shrill screams of Harold as each time I dodge, another expensive thing is broken. Why fill one room with such nonsense anyways?

"Get out of there already! Stop playing," I hear Ciel state before Sebastian drags him away. Where did Lau go- when did he leave?

"Aye," I state lowly, and break my way through the window, the glass not even nearly scratching my skin. As I land in a crouch, I take off at my current full speed towards home, and then set down Soma once we're inside. "Soma safe now," I tell him. But it seems he's too shocked to answer.

As Sebastian leads Soma to where Ciel is, I'm ordered to go put a new suit on. Which I'm not too happy about; putting on clothing is still something I'm getting used to. Still, I put on one of my many black and white suits and track down the others by smell. I knock before entering as I've been trained to do by Sebastian. What I come in to find though, is something that's not all that good. Soma just knocked over a perfectly fine tea set. Now, I'm not one much for tea, but the glass was pretty. The boy shoulder checks me in his rush to get passed me, and my upper lip raises a little bit.

"Rude," I snap out as the boy leave. "Why Soma angry?"

"He isn't happy that 'everyone is leaving him'," Ciel states.

"It seems that he needs to be re-disciplined," Sebastian states with narrowed eyes.

And re-disciplined he was, Sebastian drilling into his head that he never had anything of his own in the first place. Everything he ever had was only given to him through his parents and his status- which was also given to him by whom he is related to. In the end, Sebastian drove the boy into realizing just how unimportant he really is within the world.

Today was a very fast paced day in the very least. You see, after Soma finally realized just how spoiled he was, we inadvertently decided to help him with things. Not because Ciel is a kind person by way of helping strangers. But by way of wanting to win a certain prize that would be rewarded to the winner of the Curry cooking contest that Agni had entered for Harold. It was a fast paced thing with both Sebastian and Agni being the two most noticeable chefs amongst the group. And it wasn't until the Queen's choice of who won the competition that we got the prize that would allow Master's company to expand into the world of food.

Though out the week, I have been keeping to myself for the most part. Why, you ask? Because I've been working on my speaking ability. I've been getting better as of late, and I figure that I'm almost to where I can talk like anyone else. I can't wait, so I've been working through the night and day while Sebastian worked to make the correct curry for the competition. I just hope that when the time comes, I can show not only Ciel, but also Sebastian that I am a good dog. And that there is nothing that I can't learn when I put my mind to it. I'm a Hell Hound after all; there's rarely anything we can't learn to do.

There was a down side that no one saw coming. Someone had used curryma, a forbidden spice known to feed on the darkness of one's heart. Meena, whom turned out to be a complete bitch and was being bribed into acting the same way when she saw Soma again if Agni kept to his side of the deal. It wasn't until the curryma caused certain people to go crazy. This in turn caused chaos that was only solved by the kind taste of Sebastian's Curry Bread that he made for the competition. This turned everyone back to normal, including Meena.

"I have a message from her Highness," the white haired demon I learned from my Master to be Ash- demon butler to the Queen- approaches us to speak. He actually is like a white themed version of Sebastian, having the same tone and way of speech. They're even the same height. But while Sebastian has red eyes, Ash has purple. Sebastian has black hair, and Ash white. Sebastian dresses in all black, but Ash dresses in all white. Talk about your differences. "The Queen is the light and you are the shadow; please continue your excellent work," he finishes up. His eyes turn to me, and he tilts his head. "Oh? Who might this be?"

"Him? This is Phobia, a hell hound that I brought into my manor to work under my care in order to keep both himself safe and humans all around," Ciel states. "Be polite Phobia and say hello".

Let's see if my speech lessons as of late have been worth it. I look from my Master to Sebastian and smile lightly before bowing. "A pleasure to meet you, Ash," I state, and rise my torso to offer a hand to shake. The demon takes it firmly. "It truly is. Thank you for praising my Master; it means the world to me".

"You're quite well spoken. Mr. Phantomhive seemed to have thought you couldn't do such a thing," Ash smiles and releases my hand.

"It's a shame he would have such little faith in me, no?" I chuckle out.

"Indeed. It was a pleasure to meet you, Phobia. But please forgive me as I must take my leave," Ash announces.

"Do not let me keep you from Her Highness. It was an honor to meet you as well," I tell him with a smile. It is when Ash is gone that my attention goes to the others. Their faces are full of surprise and slightly blanched. "What?"

"Since when could you talk like _that _?" My Master asks me with honest surprise.

"Since just now acutally. I had spent most of my time studying- never doing that again by the way- and this is the result. If you want, I can always go back to how I was," I tell him.

"If you do, I'll call you a bad dog for the rest of your days," Sebastian states lowly.

"You're so cruel!" I whimper out. "I worked so hard to impress you in front of the Queen herself and that's the thanks I get? Please treat me more kindly; you're the most important person in my life after all".

"And why is that? Ciel is your Master," Sebastian sighs out.

"But you're the one that tamed me in the first place," I add with another whimper. "I follow his orders to make you and you alone happy. Master Ciel is a wonderful person, but I like you more".

"Yes well, like him more than me. Either that or continue what you're doing. Do I make myself clear? If you keep obeying Ciel like you have been, then I'll be very happy with you," Sebastian assures

"Yay!" I grin, and glomp the man before licking his face. "I won't let you down".

Sebastian's face is one that is unhappy with the spit on it, "You'd do well not to".


	4. Chapter 4

_Alrighty, chapter four is here! I want to give thanks to Sit Back and Life Live  for being so kind as to enjoy the story and review :D . So without further ado, let the story continue!~_

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"This morning you have dance lessons with Mrs. Brush, and then you have a meeting later this afternoon," Sebastian tells Ciel as he follows after the human boy through the hallway. It's been about...Maybe a week since the curry incident with Soma and Agni, whom have both returned back to their home. At least, as far as I know. "Are you listening to me, Bocchan?"

"Haven't I told you that I'm tired of dance lessons? I wasn't meant to dance," Ciel tells his butler.

"Master, you dance perfectly fine," I assure him. I'd speak in my broken up sentences, but last time I tried to revert for the sake of me, I was hit by a grandfather clock via Sebastian being 'clumsy'. I sigh. So much has changed since I joined this pack. From not talking a single word, to speaking in perfectly fluent sentences.

"No I don't, Phobia. And for that matter, we should give you a new name. The one you have now isn't human. In Hell, what did you go by?" Ciel states.

"As in a name?" I wonder.

"Yes, as in a name you dolt," Ciel sighs.

"No need to be rude, Master," I whimper out, "Before I came to this world, I was known as Fobie (pronounced Fo-bee-long a). It means Phobia".

"Fobie? What kind of name is that? We'll just have to go with the one you have now, then. Unfortunately"

"The kind of name that goes to the strongest of Hell Hounds," Sebastian tells him as I figure he knew I wasn't going to tell him. "Though how someone like you managed to become the strongest, I have no idea".

"I was just raised that way is all," I sigh, and run shortened bone claws along the back of my other hand despite the fact that they're hidden by white gloves; a tick I seem to have when annoyed. "Just because I got my ass handed to me by you doesn't mean I'm weak. I don't like to go all out, it's not fun".

"Not fun?"

"Hell Hounds have a known record of being rather sadistic. That is, once they've grown passed their initial instincts," Sebastian again explains. "They delight in killing their enemies and playing with their food".

"Is that so bad?" I sigh out and place a clawed hand to my forehead. "I wish I had never decided to dedicate my life to you at the moment, Then I wouldn't be explaining everything, nor would I have to actually tell you about my potential. I was hoping that with the injury to my head I wouldn't ever be able to talk again- even though it got annoying sometimes. But no, you just had to be the perfect butler, didn't you? Jamming information into my mind and turning me into something like yourself. Even making me want to please you by learning on my own how to talk fluently after you gave me the basics. You're cruel".

"I find that to be a complement, honestly, coming from the strongest Hell Hound," Sebastian smiles out. Our conversation though stops at the sound of laughter. One voice is Tanaka's, the other belonging to someone else.

We open the door that leads to the room we heard the laughter coming from, only to see Mr. Ash. I grin broadly. Like Sebastian, the scent he constantly gives off is to die for. However, in his time away from us he seems to have done his reading up on Hell Hounds, and as such he glares at me darkly. Oh, ouch.

"Y-you're the Queen's butler!" Ciel states with a single wide eye. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahh forgive me," Mr. Ash stands up humbly, "You did not have to see me in such a state as I was". What, in the state of having some fun? Yea, because that's a bad thing.

"I don't know if you haven't realized, but Mr. Ash is always the one to deliver the Queen's bidding," Sebastian states.

"Yes! For being able to go over the Domesday books and making sure that everything is in line, and then coming to Master Phantomhive's home to deliver the Queen's bidding as well as have a cup of tea with Mr. Tanaka all while during Her Majesty's nap time!" Mr. Ash poses as he states this. Why is it that he reminds me so terribly of the black clad butler at my Master's side?

"You can do without the tea," Ciel states. Not long after, Ash excuses himself from the rest of us as he must return to Her Majesty.

"More over, we should get a move on this," I state as I read over my Master's shoulder. "A new cult?"

"It seems like it," Sebastian sighs out.

"I'm tired of dealing with the occult," Ciel states, a hand going to his ribs. I know not much of my Master's past, but I have seen that burn on his ribs, and I have seen that symbol before. It's not good news for someone like Ciel. "There's been an oddly large number of coffin deliveries to this place recently...I know who we can go talk to".

"The Undertaker?" Sebastian wonders.

"Exactly. However, I don't feel like taking forever," Ciel admits...How many people can you carry?

"Five, Master," I tell him simply. I'm not that big, but I'm not small either.

"That's a good enough number. Phobia, you will carry us until I tell you to put us down," Ciel states simply.

"As you wish, Master," I sigh out and fire consumes my form. With fur of blue and black, eyes as red as blood, I crouch my massive form so that Ciel may get on.

"You too Sebastian," Ciel tells the butler. "But first...Get Phobia another suit for later".

"Yes, my Lord," and in no time we're out of here.

To say that the Undertaker's place is interesting yet funny smelling is an understatement. It is a simple place on the outside, however dark and covered in all sorts of things having to do with death on the inside. The dust that layers this place makes my nose twitch and I sneeze, causing the gray haired man to twitch in slight surprise.

"May I come in?" Ciel questions.

"Welcome, Earl," the man greets. "It's been a while". As he turns, I see glasses that I remember vividly. That weird red haired Shinigami that had suggested some 'fun' between he, I and Sebastian. Gross. "And welcome Sebastian!~" He launches himself at the demon, however my eyes narrow. If I'm aloud to show my true colors, then I don't have to sit back and let everything pass me by. But this time I let Sebastian simply step to the side and let Grell face plant.

"You?! Where's the Undertaker?" Ciel demands.

"Welcome, Earl," the real Undertaker greets from a rather large vase filled with...I can't really tell.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

"Well, sweet hunk puppy," Grell speaks up, "This jerk had the nerve to call me ugly! When obviously I am not! I was doing this investigation for Will the other day but got very hungry and tired. So I decided to take a nap. But then I ended up here; I guess that's what I get for not breathing while sleeping. I was just waiting for someone to wake me up with a nice, long tongue kiss". I kind of forgot that I don't really need to breath; no demon or reaper or even angel needs to breath in order to live.

"What were you investigating exactly?" I ask.

"Oh? So you _can_ talk! And what a nice voice you have as well!~" Grell smiles out. I shutter. "I was investigating the disappearance of cinematic records".

"Huh? Cinematic Records?" Ciel questions. Of course he wouldn't know about them.

"By extracting the memories of what you have done over your life time, Shinigami can decide whether or not you go to Heaven or Hell. However, I didn't know that they could be stolen," the butler explains.

"When not in use, the Cinematic Records of every living thing- that is, everything destined to die- are carefully stored away in the form of books. Certain records were stolen, and I was sent to find them". Grell states. "Humans can only see their own record when they're in a life threatening situation, or about to die". Grell continues. "Someone had stolen a Cinematic Record from the library, and I was told to do some investigating on it".

"How interesting that something like that is happening while more and more coffins are going to our destination," Ciel mutters, "Undertaker, I have a favor to ask of you".

"Oh? Well, you're going to have to pay me in some of the finest-," the gray haired man sees the glare that Grell is giving him. "On second thought, this one will be free of charge". And so, the four of us- Sebastian, Ciel, Grell and myself stuffed ourselves into one large coffin, which was then taken to our destination. When we stop and I hear talking, I assume we're there. "I've brought the coffin you ordered," The Undertaker states to the man in robes with a chuckle.

"Huh? I don't remember ordering a coffin," the stranger states.

"Oh? But I have the order here somewhere," the Undertaker assures and begins to dig through the sash that he wears, throwing various things to the ground. It is during this time that I push up the lid of the coffin up and the four of us skitter into near by bushes to hide and wait for a way in.

"Don't worry about it. You're welcome to come in. And so are those people over there," the man looks to our not so well blended in forms.

"I've played my role here," the Undertaker turns down casually and turns to walk away.

We in the mean time are lead into the...monastery I guess you could call it, and walk along with the donkey that pulls the coffin with him. As we come upon a trio of three people, they smile brightly and bow to us. I sneeze, excusing myself after words. They smell weird. Not bad...But weird.

"I don't like those smiles," Ciel mutters.

"That's something, coming from you who has forgotten how to smile," Sebastian states as he smiles his usual smile.

"Those smiles are fake," Ciel tells him, giving the reason for not liking those smiles in the first place. As we enter the main building, the man leaves use to do as we please. Which is kind of odd because if this place is supposed to be evil and what not, wouldn't they be watching us closely?

Soon after we look around the alter room- with Ciel seeing the mark that had been burned into his skin when he was younger by those cultists- some little boys come laughingly running into the room. Only to stop and look at Grell as though he were nasty.

"Aww, well aren't you three adorable? I'm not into children though," Grell tells them.

"Hello again Mr. Unclean! You're going to get clean right?" One boy asks.

"'Unclean'? I'm not unclean! I'm perfectly fine," Grell jolts. "I'll show _you_ unclean!" He reaches forward and touches the boy who had spoken. Said boy promptly freaks out- which I can't help but laugh at- and runs off about getting cleansed again. Then, a woman dressed in a feminine version of what the men have been seen to wear, greets us with a chuckle.

"Everyone is unclean at one age or another," she assures an annoyed Grell.

From that point on, let's just say that I don't feel like telling you what goes down because all Sebastian ended up doing was seducing the woman into telling him some information. That's right, he fucked the information right out of her; something Grell nor I were happy about. Grell wasn't happy about it because he apparently loves Sebastian. Me? I wasn't happy because well...I don't know to be honest. Part of it might have been because they were so loud, and I didn't need to hear any of that. Other than that, I don't know why I was so disgruntled. When the two were done, Ciel, Grell and I met up with the same woman in a barn as she ran her hands through her hair and still held a small blush on her cheeks. She told us of the boys only choir that would sing when a cleansing ceremony occurred. And the boys were hand picked by the Founder himself. After leaving the woman to be on her own, we talked about what we were going to do about the whole cleansing ceremony that was going to be tonight. We decided that we were just going to watch. However, after being scarred by Grell who stole a boy's uniform and tried to pull it off as 'sexy', my attention went towards a smell that made my nose burn almost painfully.

"Something smells horrid," I mutter, looking in the direction of the scent. There's someone listening- if not just watching- us as we speak. Their scent makes me unable to tell whether they're female or male, just that they're there.

"Is there something the matter, Sebastian? Phobia?" Ciel questions.

"No, nothing," we answer as one.

"Come, it's time for the cleansing ceremony," Ciel states and leaves us behind to walk after him. We find ourselves in the back most pew, with Sebastian and I on each of Ciel's sides, and Grell cuddling up to Sebastian's free side. I have to admit that the singing is rather pretty, and that the Founder picked good boys for singing. Their harmony is excellent.

"Can you tell if those are real Cinematic Records?" I hear Sebastian question Grell.

"Mmmnn. We're too far away to really get a good look," the red head replies. And so we're forced to really sit through the whole thing. Apparently, the woman of the two had become pregnant at 15 for whatever reason. The man, simply let the years pass by without a care. Both are apparently sins. As the two were cleansed of their sins, the ceremony came to a close. However, even as everyone else left, we stayed to talk in private.

"Those weren't real Cinematic Records," Grell tells us, "I couldn't tell at first, but when that whole projection thing showed up, I knew right away".

"Then what do we do now?" I question, itching at my nose. That scent was strong here. It belonged to the Founder.

"Is there something wrong with your nose?" Ciel raises a brow in my direction.

"The Founder smells really bad," I tell him, "And his scent is really potent too. It's burning my nose off". Sebastian was going to say something when a trio of three women walked into the room.

"Oh good! There you are," the one at the front beams, "Come with us. You've been chosen to sing in the choir".

Obviously they're talking to Ciel; he's the only kid among us. What Sebastian and I walk in to see is Ciel struggling against the women that had come to get him. Someone doesn't like to be stripped by women; odd. Or maybe it's just strangers. That's make a whole lot more sense.

"Excuse us," I get their attention.

"We can take it from here," Sebastian follows up.

"I'm afraid you can't. You're both still unclean," one of the women states.

"We're unclean?" I innocently tilt my head seemingly hurt by the words. Sebastian in the mean time just smiles charmingly as he did for the other woman from before.

"O-or maybe you're not," one of the three states.

"You're too cute to be unclean," another assures us, hands clasped to their chest.

And that's how we got to strip Ciel down and to scrubbing his body. I'm currently working on his arms, while Sebastian works on his back.

"I don't like this at all," Ciel states, "They have that symbol up there," he growls out.

"We'll protect you, Master," I assure him lightly,

"Besides, do you think you can escape Hell?" Sebastian questions.

"No. I can't escape it, I know that much. In fact, I'll grab the very last spider thread that has been spun and use it to drag me to the depths of it," Ciel sighs out. It is after that, that he stands and we dress him in the usual boy's uniform they got going on here.

I wasn't there to see what Ciel had gone through, nor was Sebastian or Grell. But when Ciel called my name, along with his butler's, we both high tailed it to the alter. I growl as one of the people there try to come at me, my hand going trough their chest without a care. Their blood is rich and pure. Like that of a new born babe. I stop to lick the blood off my hand, unable not to as I haven't had fresh meat in a good while. However, my attention is given to the surprise that I wasn't even expecting.

"I knew it; Angela," Sebastian mutters.

"What's an angel doing in this world?!"

"Angela is an angel?!" How did she manage to mask her scent from me for so long? I snarl low in my throat. She tricked me! I cared for her and she tricked me!

"I will make you clean again, little Phantomhive," Angela mutters into his ear. Her purple eyes land on me.

"Get back here with my Master!" I demand, racing after her.

"Sebastian! Phobia!" Ciel calls out with an arm outstretched as much as it could, his form straining against the woman's hold.

"Bocchan! We're coming!" Sebastian, honestly worried, calls.

"Hold on Master!" I call out again, racing at his side. Angela and Ciel go through the portal first, and Sebastian, Grell and I only just make it through.


	5. Chapter 5

Where we appear is not where Ciel is, obviously, as what I see is passing people and a large building to look at.

"Eh? That's the library where the Cinematic Records are kept," Grell points towards the large building we basically arrived in front of. And so, we make our way there. Upon opening the door though, Sebastian and I are greeted by a hedge clipper trying to take off Sebastian's head.

"I knew there was a foul stench around here," the man before us speaks as his hedge clipper shortens itself. "Grell, are you going for another demotion? Bringing in not one demon, but two".

"Eh heh...What's going to happen to me now?" Grell whimpers out, snipping those little scissors of his.

"Just as you left a certain issue not taken care of?" Sebastian states back coolly.

"An angel," the man states.

"What are we going to do, Will?" Grell asks the black haired man- Will apparently.

The man turns after adjusting his glasses with the blade of his hedge clippers, and leads the way through a hallway. "Angels have the power to rewrite Cinematic Records. They often find themselves wanting to do this in order to make things better for the person they're looking over".

"So, like rewriting history," I conclude with furrowed brows.

"Not even God himself can do that. No, what the angel does is basically give the subject false memories that lead them to believe what is negative is not so bad as they thought it was," Will answers. "However, that doesn't mean that the truth won't still haunt him. It'll always be in the back of their minds, something of a 'what if' thought if you will".

"Brainwashing in other words," I try again.

"I suppose you could call it that," Will nods out, "It does make sense when you put it that way. Luring the human's mind into wiping their memory of something and remembering what is focused on in only a certain way".

Upon entering the actual library, my eyes widen at the sight of film strips coming from Ciel's chest and floating around like wisps of smoke or steam. His head is resting in Angela's lap as she holds him there, smiling as though she's getting her way. Which as far as I know, she is.

"Master!" Sebastian and I call out as one, only to be stopped by Will's commanding voice.

"Stop! If you go now, the Cinematic Record won't be complete and he'll become an incomplete human," Will tells us sternly.

"Are you telling me, that I have to just stand here while my Master fights all on his own?" I snap at him, earning me a stern nod.

"No one wants to live a life full of hatred," Angela states gently with a smile, "He is no different".

"...Our Master is being purged," Sebastian states, wide eyed and full of worry.

I however, lunge only for his arms to wrap around me. "Let him go! Let him go right now damn you!" In my anger, may it be noted that I'm pulling Sebastian with me, his feet barely holding onto the floor.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Phobia," Angela states, "Oh, I'm sorry,_ Phobia_". She's so sure of herself that it makes me want to rip her in half. I can do that you fuckin' know. However, as I'm fighting to get through Sebastian's hold, the Cinematic Record films suddenly stop moving, and we look up. What? He stopped the rewriting all on his own?! Indeed, that's what Ciel did. The films find their way back into Ciel's chest, his form falling from the air. Sebastian moves forward and catches the child, and stops moving once he does.

"Sebastian," I hear Ciel mutter out.

"You never fail to exceed my expectations," Sebastian states, "I expect nothing less from my soul...No, my Master". There's a smile of pride in his voice as he looks down at the boy.

"Master!" I rush forward and wrap my arms around his small frame, even if he is in Sebastian's hold, licking his face happily even if he's trying to push me away. I don't care if I've become more civilized. I'm a hound and I'm going to happily lick my Master's face to show how relieved I am.

"It seems that I'll have to purge you right here. Let me show you what will happen if the world is ruled by hate," Angela demands, and then disappears through a portal. The knife that Sebastian had thrown at her doesn't make it, and the room becomes brown instead of white.

"We're in an angel's barrier," Will explains for no reason.

"Then how are we going to stop her?" Ciel demands, finally managing to get me to let go and wiping his face dry.

"Oh? An act of kindness, Bocchan?" Sebastian smiles at the young man. "You were going to eradicate everyone there in the first place, were you not?"

"Yes, but she is one of my enemies," Ciel states with determination. "I won't let her get away. Not again".

"I'll take care of her for you, Master," I snarl out, "She tricked me; I don't like that at all". And with that said, I begin to pull at the doors with Grell. However, no matter how hard we pull, the doors won't budge. "Damn it!"

"How are we going to get out of here?" Grell huffs out.

"Excuse me," a rather familiar voice speaks up as he wheels a cart passed us ever so casually. He makes his way to a near by book shelf and starts mumbling something about a certain section and something being under the letter N.

"Wait...What are you doing here?" Grell states

"Watch your tone. This particular person was the one to judge Robin Hood himself, and he sent Marian Antoinette to Hell. He is a legendary Shinigami," Will tells Grell after hitting him good in the head.

"What?" The red head denies, "He looks nothing like the man you described to me. How is this guy him?" He lifts up gray bangs, however I don't get to see what Grell sees- none of us do. However, what ever it was, Grell's fallen for it. "Embrace me," the Undertaker does just that.

"Can we focus on how we're going to get out of here?" I demand, stepping from foot to foot impatiently. As I speak, a book not far from the Undertaker rumbles and falls from the shelf, opening up to an almost empty page. There's writing there, and it's continuing on.

"This is the doomsday book of someone. It seems that there is a slaughtering angel at the monastery just outside of Preston," the gray haired man reads out. That's where that bitch returned to!

"Still, that doesn't tell us how we're going to get out of here," Ciel points out.

"We do still have one more way out. It's something that someone of only a great caliber can have," Will states, eyes falling to the Undertaker. "It's called the Bookmark".

"The Bookmark?" Ciel raises a brow, seeing as it seems all too simple.

"A pink bookmark," the Undertaker laughs out. From there, he places the book mark into the woman's book and takes out a matching pen. "By using this bookmark, one can then use red pen to do as they please". He begins to write, "Just then, right before her eyes, Sebastian Michelis appears to take down the angel". Moments later, he's writing down Will's and Grell's names as well. "Finally, the fearsome Hell Hound, Phobia, went to join the party".

My eyes widen as there's a pulling on my form, and next thing I know I'm back in the alter room. A snarl rips through my throat as I see Angela pinned to the wall. However, it's not anger towards the men of course, but towards the angel that's been pinned high and onto a wall. I leap at her, my body easily sticking to the wall via hanging off of her. "You bitch," I snarl, "How dare you trick me! I trusted you, and yet you used me".

"You were clean even for a demon!" Angela states, smirking at me. "How could I not care for you? But, with the death of me, you'll be just as unclean as the rest of your kind".

"I don't give a damn," I tell her, and even as she begins to glow and scream, power radiating off of her and burning me, I lash forward with my jaws and sink my teeth into her throat.

"Let's go Phobia!" Sebastian demands, his voice getting further away.

But I'm not done just yet even if by now she's dead. Well, that is, I wasn't done until I fully realized just how quickly his place is falling apart. I sigh, and push myself off the wall before landing in a crouch and then high tailing it out of there on all fours. It feels nice to run like that, however the only reason I'm doing so is so that I can cover more ground. Once outside, I stand at Sebastian's side and watch the building crumble. It crushes those unfortunate to not get out in time, leaving random blood stains on the ground. Out of no where, Ciel appears and stares at the rubble. I nor the other demon next to me make a sound as he stares at the downed building.

"It's over," Ciel states after a while. "As promised...Go ahead and take it," Ciel states. He's obviously talking to Sebastian. My eyes are wide. Damn it, it's already over? Damn it. I watch as Sebastian leaves my side and approaches Ciel slowly. The boy closes his only eye, body stiff and waiting for his soul to be taken. However, Sebastian doesn't do that. He fixes the little tie on the clothing had been changed into the night before. Ciel is obviously surprised. "What? Didn't you hear me? I said that you could take my soul. We made a deal". I can't see the look on Sebastian's face, but I assume it's a smile. "...There's more, isn't there?" Ciel mutters.

"Please allow me to remain in service to you a little while longer," Sebastian requests as he kneels before the boy.

The next day finds the lot of us in the Undertaker's place, having some tea out of beakers. Which is odd. Grell, being infatuated with said Undertaker, serves the gray haired man his tea with a beaming smile.

"By the way," Will states, "Why were you there in the library in the first place?"

"Hmmm? Oh, well seeing you," he motions to Grell, "Reminded me of the books I had to return".

"The books?" I tilt my head, flanking at Ciel's side with Sebastian on his other.

"The Cinematic Records of Mr. and Mrs. Phantomhive," well there's another twist I didn't expect to see. "Would you like to take a look at them?" This is obviously a question towards Ciel.

"...No, I'd rather not," Ciel states, and stands while putting his beaker to the side. "And with that, I'll be taking my leave. Sebastian, Phobia, time to go". He stands with me following after him like the Guardian I am. Sebastian takes up the rear and closes the door of the place behind him once he's outside.

"Are you sure that was a wise choice, Master?" I raise a brow and look down at him.

"After all, you could have used the records in order to find out who your enemies are," Sebastian adds on.

"It's fine," Ciel states. There's obviously something on his mind, but he doesn't say it. And I nor the other demon push for more information. Time to go home.


	6. Chapter 6

_Holy snap cakes it's been so long! I'm sooooo sorry for the long Hiatus for those of you who have been waiting for me to continue Phobia's story. However, I reward you with this: The continuation_ _and completion of **Kuroshisuji: There is Always Someone Stronger**. I hope this chapter and the following ones are up to par. As always, if you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll get back to as soon as I can. _

* * *

"There's no need for you to look him up," Ciel's voice speaks up as we've once more woven our way around person after person to get to the actual scene of the issue. "His name is John Stanley. His identification papers are right here," he holds up a folder which Sebastian then takes to Randall to look over. I on the other hand stay close to my Master as any good dog would.

"Let me see that," Randall demands and snatches the papers from the other red eyed demon. Once he's done reading, he looks to the boy. "What do you plan on doing?"

"I simply need something off his body," Ciel assures.

"I'm sorry, Earl, but he didn't have anything in his possession when we found him," the russet haired man, Abberline tells us.

"...I see. Thank you, Inspector Abberline. Come Phobia, Sebastian," the boy turns and both Sebastian and I walk side by side behind the boy. While Sebastian and Ciel get into the carriage I step onto it and into the driver's seat. The window behind me is slightly open so that I can hear the conversation the three of us know is going to go down. With a light lash of the reigns the horses take off at a steady pace.

"What's the matter, Bocchan?" Sebastian speaks up as we go along.

"What makes you think that there's something the matter? Just because I wear this face doesn't mean that something is wrong with it," Ciel replies.

"I did not mean it in such a harmful way," Sebastian assures, "For me, looking at your face is always delightful". That's not weird at all.

I hear a sigh, "It's just that this case makes absolutely no sense. There's almost nothing to go on. What Mr. Ash said doesn't make sense either. Why simply destroy what I'm looking for?"

Earlier today, Mr. Ash, the Queen's personal butler, had come to give a case to Ciel as he normally does. However, Ciel is there again to speak with the man as he drinks his Japanese tea as he loves to do after giving an order. He told us that our target, John Stanley, was actually a man who worked just like my Master does. In that he worked with underworld issues as well for the Queen, but on his mission was killed. He then told us that Ciel was to find the object that the man was carrying, and dispose of it. Not look at it, not bring it back, but get rid of it once and for all. This was obviously odd, and it still is, seeing as Ciel is the Queen's most trusted Watchdog. However, Mr. Ash wouldn't say anything more on the subject of the matter, and took his leave soon after words.

"How are we going to go about his, Master?" I question, my voice drifting in through the slightly open window.

"...Go to Lau's den. We should try to figure out just why Stanley had been killed in the first place. And Lau is the best one to go to for such a thing. He also controls this area, and therefore would be of the most use to us," Ciel states.

"As you wish," I tell him, and lash the reigns a bit more for the horses to speed up if only just a little bit. It takes us a small amount of time to get to Lau's den, and soon enough we're greeted by the all too thick smoke of opium. I'm so glad demons can't get high. Not powerful ones such as myself and Sebastian at least. Lower demons, yes, but not us.

"Ahh, Young Earl, long time no see, what can I do for you? What brings you to my den?" Lau speaks up, basically covered in pretty Chinese women from lap to shoulders.

"I need information from you; your help," Ciel states as the smoke clears enough for him to see the Chinese man.

"Oh? So you're here about that are you?" Lau states.

"So it's already gotten to you," Ciel assumes. My eyes shoot to Sebastian and I raise a brow. Is lips turn up wards in a quick smile. Heh, the ass is playing the boy again.

"Not much around here happens without my knowing," Lau assures. "You should know that by now".

"Of course. So, are you willing to help me?" Ciel pushes.

"I am but a pawn on your side of the board. Of course I will help you," Lau assures once more. "But I have one question...What are we talking about?" Ciel blanches, realizing that he's been had again. "Why don't we go upstairs? It's so stuffy down here". I wonder why?

Once upstairs, with Lau only having Ran-Mao to hang off of him now, Ciel, with Sebastian and I behind him, sits on one couch while Lau sits on the other and Ran-Mao has her arms draped around his shoulders from behind. The two of them get right to business.

"Now let's see...If there's anything that someone in this town would be willing to kill for...It'd be drugs. Someone has been spreading new merchandise lately. To be quite frank, it's causing me a lot of trouble," Lau states.

"New merchandise?"

"Yes. The city is awash with rumors that say it's quite effective, but cheaper and lighter than opium. They call it 'Lady Bran'".

"'Lady Bran'? A white lady?" I wonder what he's thinking about at this moment. I know that his words remind me of that damn angel.

"Is something wrong?"

"No".

"The person found in Regent Dock...What was his name again?"

"John Stanley," I speak up as Sebastian walks over to offer a picture to put a face to the name, "However we think it's a false name".

"Hmmm...I've never seen his face before. As far as drug dealers go, I should know most of them," Lau states. He holds up the picture to the girl behind him and asks, "Ran-Mao, what about you?" She shakes her head to show she doesn't know the man or face either. He hands the picture back to the black haired demon, "There you go".

"There is a 'certain item' that I'm searching for," Ciel states.

"'Certain item?"

"Yes. Stanley was most likely killed for it. Therefore, there's something I want you to do for me," Ciel goes on.

"What is it, Young Earl?"

"I want you to spread a rumor saying that I have obtained a special item from the body found at the docks," Ciel answers.

"That can easily be done. Is it okay to ask why?"

"If news is spread of this, then the person who took something off the body will doubt the authenticity of what they had taken and come after me".

"Ahh, so you're using yourself as a decoy. As to be expected of the Queen's loyal Watchdog," Lau smiles out. "Hey, Young Earl. There's always been something I've wanted to ask you: Why are you giving such reverend loyalty to the Queen? She only gives nonsensical demands".

"You wouldn't understand," Ciel states, keeping the real reason to himself, "You, who ha left your home and are drifting around in a foreign country like a rootless blade of grass".

"So it would seem," Lau chuckles out lightly. It is after that, that we take our leave.

Once more I step onto the driver's block and lightly lash the reigns as to get the pullers moving. As we return home, Finny and Mei-Rin are off running an errand, and Sebastian leaves for the kitchen to make the young Master a small snack to eat. It is during this time that Ciel shows us just how lost he seems to be.

"A white lady...Sebastian, Phobia, you don't think that woman is involved, do you?" He questions us as he slumps on the couch. Sebastian is currently pouring tea for him, I on the other hand am leaning on the back of the couch with my arms crossed.

"Highly doubtful," I tell him, "I ripped out her throat before leaving the building. And then it collapsed on her".

"You ripped out her throat?" Ciel looks up to me, and I grin.

"I can still taste the blood on my tongue. She tasted like her scent; gone bad meat," I confirm.

"You resemble nothing but a lost puppy, Bocchan," Sebastian steps in as he hands the boy his cup, "It's rather sad really. I am nothing but a pawn in your hand, the same goes for Phobia. Isn't somewhat odd that you're asking the opinion of not one, but two of your pawns?"

There's a pause and then, "I'm still here. So that means that my desire has not yet been fulfilled".

"Yes, exactly," Sebastian agrees.

"And here I am, still doing my duty for the Queen as a descendant of the Phantomhive family. Just like my ancestors did before me. Yes...Nothing has changed," what's with those words.

However, I have no time to ask as an odd scent catches my attention and I push off the couch and head for the room's doors. I ignore the calls of Sebastian and Ciel and open the doors only to find the barer of the scent. Mey-Rin. In a flash, I have both her wrists above her head in one of my hands, and I'm pinning the rest of her form against the wall with my body. My nose twitches this way and that as I look for the scent. I ignore her surprised scream as well, still searching. My free hand also searches her form, and I can feel her wiggling under the touch. Come now woman, I'm not coming onto you. If I was, I'd be kissing you right now.

"Phobia! What are you doing?" Ciel demands.

"She has something that doesn't belong on her," I state distractedly. Though finally, I find what I've been looking for in her pocket. I pull it out and release her right away. "This stuff," I tell him. "It doesn't smell right".

"What? It's just candy," Finny assures as he pulls some from his pocket. "It's really popular; so much so that I've heard that most of the time it's sold out. Even the adults are going crazy about it".

"It's almost like you feel better when you eat it!" Mey-Rin agrees.

"Really? Let me try some!" Bard requests, and the maid hands a piece over to the chef. However, a quick handed Tanaka takes it first.

Silently he unwraps it before announcing, "This is not our company's candy!"

"What? How can you tell?" Ciel demands.

"While the wrapper is real, the company's policies are too strict for something as unsightly as this to make its way into the shops," he takes a lick, "This is-," however, he's reached his time limit and therefore shrinks the normally small Tanaka he usually is.

I take the drug from the older man and sniff it, "I knew something was up; it's a drug," and hand it off to Sebastian.

"Morphine made by opium, quite concentrated. This is probably the merchandise that Mr. Lau had told us about," he tells our lord.

"Lady Bran," Ciel trails off, a frown marring his face. His eyes widen and moments later, "Phobia, Sebastian, we're leaving. Now!"

"As you wish, Master," I nod out, and follow after his shorter strides.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian heads off after us.

"Phobia, you're in here with me, Sebastian, you drive," Ciel demands and we follow his orders. There's a jolt and a whiny of the pulling horses before we're off the grounds before we know it.

"You could have just ridden me, you know," I tell the boy in front of me.

"That would have caused too much commotion. Otherwise I really would have demanded Sebastian get you another suit so we could get to the factory faster," Ciel sighs out. There's a rumbling and the wheels of our carriage skid to a stop. The horses obviously aren't happy.

"What the hell?" I mutter, taking in a sample of the air. "We're surrounded, Master," I mutter lowly.

"What? By who?" He demands.

I take another whiff, "Scotland Yard," is my simple reply.

"What's going on, Sebastian?" Ciel demands as he slightly opens up the carriage's door.

"Earl Ciel Phantomhive, I am hereby detaining you for suspicion of violating the Medicines Act," Abberline speaks up with authority.

From there, I stand and open the door, letting out Ciel first, and standing behind him in the doorway.

"Bocchan!" Sebastian calls out, alarmed.

"Oh? You want to detain me, Earl Phantomhive. You, who have no noble title," Ciel speaks in a tone that obviously looks down on the human.

"That's right. You are suspected of being in league of a Chinese man named Lau, selling a new kind of drug," Abberline nods out.

"Lau? As if. He is but a pawn in my hand. Besides, it was known and tolerated by Randall that Lau ran an opium den. If you have issues with that, take him alone," Ciel goes on.

"There is a Funtom Company warehouse in the Docklands, correct?" Abberline questions.

"Yes".

"A large amount was recently found there," this surprises my Master, "With the vast quantity, you can hardly talk your way out of this by saying it was for personal use. It was also found in Funtom wrapping papers". What? Ciel slowly steps down to the ground, and I come out along with him, standing at his free side.

"Sebastian, this is an-" he tries, and my eyes narrow as Randall shows himself to us.

"Shut up, brat," the man states, "Abberline, didn't I tell you to separate him from his butler at once?" What, am I not special enough?

"Randall, you do know what it means to point a gun at me?" Ciel's eye is narrow and cold.

"Resist if you want," the man chuckles, "It'll just mean the end of your stained family crest, the end of the Phantomhives. Recently, I have been given a direct order from the Queen herself. From now until this issue is settled, the responsibilities and privileges are suspended. If you give the order to either of your men there, it'll be considered high treason, and you will be stripped of your title. As for Lau, President of Kunlun's English branch, who is deeply involved with opium smuggling, he will be paying for his crimes with his life. Ciel Phantomhive, would you like to confess as to where Lau's whereabouts would be, or the personal correspondence of the Queen herself is?"

"No," Ciel drones out gently, "I'm terribly sorry.

"Heh, if I could I would love to torture you. However, that has been forbidden by Her Majesty. Perhaps I should ask the butler and the Watchdog?" Randall sneers.

It is then that things move faster, and quickly the three of us are cuffed and shackled. I was tempted to rip the chains in half, grab Ciel and flee. However, Sebastian gave me a look that that would do us no good at all. Therefore, I sigh and force my body to relax. However, it's quite the hard thing to do, as I am not just any dog that you can chain to a wall and call it a day. I am a Hell Hound, and only one being has managed to tame me; Sebastian himself. If I had to choose between Sebastian and Ciel, I would choose the former. However, I am quite fond of the latter so it's not like I'd choose without some guilt. Sebastian and I walk side by side down the stairs of the dungeon we seem to be lead to. We have been told by our Master himself not to struggle or resist in any sort of way. And that when the right time comes, he will call our names. Yes, we will help our Master show those that have done this to us, just what happens when you make a fool out of him. And let me tell you, I can't wait until he calls for us. Because then, things will truly be interesting.

"So Sebastian, Phobia, are you willing to confess?" Randall demands coldly.

"I suppose I should," Sebastian sighs out. "It was actually I who spread the Black Plague".

"W-what? That was over five hundred years ago! Stop joking around!" Randall huffs out. He then comes over to lean over me. "How about you? Don't be like him. I'll let you go if you confess".

"Then I'll confess," I tell him from my laid down position. "It was I who created the art of hanging, drawing and quartering someone".

"Not you too, you buffoon! That's also five hundred years in the past!" Randall huffs and turns away from the both of us. "Have at it!"

"Oh? How wonderful! Two subjects for the price of one issue!" The old bald man coos out, spit dripping from his mouth. Soon enough Sebastian is chained to the wall, arms and legs splayed apart. I on the other hand am placed and locked onto a table. A metal ring around my waist, ankles and wrists, and my neck, all hold me down. "Shall I pluck out that eye of yours or scoop it out? Oh, burning it would be fun too!~" Ugh, ugly sadist. His attention comes to me next. "Both of you are quite beautiful beings for being men. However I know exactly what I'm going to do with you". For the next number of days, we are tortured and maimed to no end. Surprisingly enough, Angela is stilla live and kicking, and she took pleasure in beating us with her whip. It'd be sexy if she were actually pretty. However, she is no such thing. She went so far as to offer us a good spot in her world or whatever once she brought Doomsday along. All the souls we could eat. But unfortunately for her, I'm up on my soul numbers. Like normal wild dogs, we Hell Hounds pray on animals instead of humans. I've been eating animal souls ever since I came to this world. Sebastian, finds that he'd only be satisfied by Ciel's soul. Maybe three or four days later is when things start to get interesting to tell the truth. Finally.

"Heheh," Sebastian smirks out, head hung as he ignores the gashes on his person. "Finally". Looks like he's finally been called upon.

"H-huh?" The ugly old man stutters out as Sebastian easily breaks out of his bonds, his wounds healing without an issue and fixes his uniform after killing the old man. His eyes turn to me. "I'm going to leave you behind".

"What're you talking about," I sit up with ease and then hop of the table, "I've been waiting on you".

"You have been have you?" Sebastian raises a brow at me, making me grin wide and show him a set of fangs.

"Yup. And you've been waiting on our Master. Took him long enough," I chuckle out.

"Let's not keep him waiting shall we?" He bolts out of the room, and I follow him, right on his tail. It takes us little to no time to get to where Sebastian heard the call from. I growl, and while Sebastian takes out one half, I take out the other half.

"You're late; both of you," Ciel states bluntly as he climbs out of the carriage with my help of an offered hand.

"So are you," Sebastian throws back.

"We've been waiting for days," I tell him.

"Ciel!" The three of us turn our heads in the direction of Abberline. Wasn't he the one to help arrest us in the first place? What's he doing here.

"Don't come closer," Ciel states, and then looks back to his two demon pawns. "I'm afraid I've been slightly tainted by this man's purity. Let me rectify it. This is an order to both of you: kill Lau".

"Lau?" I tilt my head. The Chinese pawn? Why?

"Are you sure? This isn't an order you can take back," Sebastian confirms.

"Whether they are friend or even parent it doesn't matter," Ciel scowls at us, "I want his head".

"As you wish, Master," I nod.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian follows up. As the black haired demon scoops his charge up and leaps off, I grin to Abberline before following after words. It takes us little to no time at all to set up the castle's walls with their cannons to fire all at the same time. Especially not with my and Sebastian's power. As those two stand on one side of the head cannon, I crouch on the other side, ready to leap off and onto a cannon that'll carry us to Lau's ship.

"Fire!" Ciel demands, and as one Sebastian and I set the cannons off.

"Are you ready, Master?" I ask him.

"Let's go," Ciel nods out, and Sebastian and I take to our own private cannons.

When we land, we are soon enough greeted by Ran-Mao, who swings her large weapons at us with surprising grace and power. "I'd rather not hurt you," Sebastian tell her as he puts Ciel down. "Perhaps you can stand aside?"

"You plan to hurt my brother. I won't move," she tells him bluntly.

"Then I'll be your opponent," and the two launch at one another.

"Come Master, we'll find Lau," I tell the boy, and we run into the belly of the ship. We actually find Lau rather quickly. He's just sitting there on a couch, smoking like nothing bad is going down; like there's no fire around us.

"Ahh, I was wondering when you'd find me, Young Earl," the man greets. "It feels strange to greet one another under these circumstances. However for my part I always thought it'd end up this way".

"That's right, Lau," Ciel snarls. Pointing the gun he managed to get his hand on at him.

"Oh, before I forget, the iten you've been looking for it on that shelf," Lau casually inputs, and Ciel takes the ribbon closed scroll. "Say, Young Earl, what do you think is says in that? It's a diplomatic paper towards Germany and Italy proposing a military alliance. Your beloved Queen plans on rushing Europe- no, the whole world- headlong into a war. Starting with an invasion on France through opium, or rather, 'Lady Bran'. Yes, the same way your country once invaded mine through opium. Are you going to remain her loyal Watchdog then?"

"...Is that why you betrayed me?" Ciel questions, gun still trained on the close eyed man.

"No, that's not it," Lau states, getting up.

"Then why?!"

"Because...I am nothing but your pawn. Our relationship depends on expectation of gain. However, Young Earl, I was starting to get bored with playing as your pawn. So I figured, why not try playing the game myself? With my life on the line," his eyes open up to challengingly meet Ciel's only blue one. Ciel shoots, and the bullet is blocked by a Chinese broad sword. The man lunges, and I scoop up Ciel so that we can make our way out of the room.

"Sebastian!" The boy calls as I jump back and land not too far from the demon, the boy still in my arms and protected.

"My, what a number you've done to my beloved little sister. I've always wondered. You really aren't human, Mr. Butler," his eyes land on me, "Same with you, Mr. Guardian".

"It seems so," Sebastian replies, "I am one hell of a butler".

"I am naught but hell's guardian," I smile back, showing him two beaming fangs that lay in my mouth.

"Interesting, how interesting. I wonder if a world that is so interesting can be reality. I often wonder...If I've been dreaming since that time. Not knowing if I dream of becoming a butterfly...Or if the butterfly dreams of becoming me!" It is now that Lau rushes us.

"Phobia!" Ciel yells out, obviously not wanting to die just yet. In the blink of an eye, I place the boy down and place myself in the line of the sword- after pushing Abberline out of the way. My hard skin connects with the blade, causing it to come to a halt.

"Abberline...What are you doing here?" Ciel demands.

"Ciel," the man speaks up, stumbling to a standing position from his fallen one.

"Mr. Guardian, you're in my way!" Lau states, pulling his blade away from my palm and trying to get around me. However, I'll have none of it.

"I don't think so," I snarl out lowly, my hand wrapping around the sharp edge of the blade and pulling it out of Lau's grip. Sebastian and Ciel wanted to see the extent of my power; here it is. Hell Hounds aren't like the kind of demon Sebastian is. Not by a long shot. Sebastian's kind are weak in their human form, they can get injured and cut up even if their human form is at its strongest. Hell Hounds on the other hand, have fur and skin that is always strong no matter what form we're in. The only reason I had gashes in me earlier, when I was imprisoned with Sebastian, is because I had forced my body to relax and mold like a human body. However, as this human knows I am a demon- or at least not human- I can play the part. I growl again and lash out with my claws, catching Lau in the side as he jumps away.

"Heh," Lau lands, and then falls into a kneeling position and holds his side as the blood spreads. "How magnificent, Young Earl, it really is an inborn virtue". I got him real good, I realize as I stay crouching in front of my Master and Abberline. Sebastian is standing at my side, brows furrowed and body ready for a fight still. "Or should I say, vice?"

"Lau, you...," Ciel tries.

"This is the end of the ship as well, Young Earl. It seems that I didn't have enough strength to become a player," Lau continues, only to fall face first into the deck. He has officially joined his sister in death.

"Sebastian, Phobia, let's get out of here," Ciel demands. "Phobia, take care of Abberline," he orders.

"Yes, my Lord".

"As you wish, Master," I tell him as I scoop up the shorter man bridal style. It's odd to hold another man in such a way, but no matter. I'm maybe an inch shorter than Sebastian, and he's done it for me. Sebastian and I easily jump from the on fire ship to a perfectly fine one, and then move onto the docks.

Once I put him down Ciel walks up to Abberline and states firmly, "You should have never been there. You're lucky my Guardian saved your life". It's after these words, that we make our way home. That night, Ciel turned in early after a soothing cup of tea. I didn't go with him, but an hour later I decided that I should go to bed myself.

I was headed to Ciel's room when a clearing of the voice occurred, and I see Sebastian motioning for me to follow. I tilt my head like the innocent pup I am, and follow him into a random room. Although it's dark in here, I can see perfectly fine even as the door is closed and locked. My eyes widen in complete surprise as I find myself pinned to the wall next to the door, a slightly larger body holding me down. There's an arm around my waist, and the other hand holds my wrists above my head. "S-Sebastain?"

"You did magnificently out there, mutt," the demon replies smoothly, rust red eyes meeting my blood red ones.

"Uh...Thank you?" I'm not sure I want to know where he's going with this. "However, I'm a wolf I'll have you know," I don't think he cares at the moment.

"In fact, you've been a rather good dog as of recently. I should reward you," he goes on. However, I don't smell any treats near by. His hips meet mine, and my eyes widen.

"Woah there, what do you think you're doing?" I ask, pushing myself further into the wall, only to find that I can't go very far of course.

"I'm trying to reward you," the demon replies. "Be a good pup and accept it".

"I don't roll that wa-," lips smoothly meet my own and my eyes widen. I don't like this feeling.

"You don't. But it seem your body does," he tells me, kissing me again, his hips again meeting my own and then moving against them. Actually, again my body doesn't ike this. It's telling me to throw him off, but I refuse to mentally; he's my Tamer. But that doesn't mean I won't fight. Ugh. What the hell is he doing?

"O-oi," I demand, eyes narrowed as I push against this hold on me, over powering him just enough. "I told you, I'm not like that. And I don't like that you're trying to dominate me. I'm not weaker than you, you know".

"But you're not stronger, either, are you?" He throws back, forehead resting against mine. The hand that had been around my waist reaches up to brush against my lips. "I'm just rewarding you, nothing more nothing less. You're free to go now". He backs off, releasing me fully.

My eyes narrow him, and I move to open the door when his body again slams against mine, making my eyes widen and my chest to hit the door. However, before his weight can fully set in, I spin us around and this time I'm the one pinning him. "Nice try. Don't be cocky, for all you know I am stronger than you," I release him, and this time succeed in opening up the door. I wasn't expecting him to pull me against him and latch onto my neck with his mouth. A low rumble comes from my chest, telling him to release me at once.

"You once wanted to make me ultimately happy. I am the one who tamed you and taught you the basics of speech. Are you so ungrateful? Do you no longer want to see me ultimately happy?" He whispers into my ear huskily.

"I want to see you happy, however I won't be come onto like this," I tell him, my knees solidifying and a hand going to the spot that my hair luckily covers. "I'm not gay. I love you, but only as a brother would".

"I beg to differ. If you were truly only interested in women, you'd of had sex with Angela, but when I met you, you didn't smell a thing of her," Sebastian states, releasing me for real this time. "However, your words on calling me brother are...Viable". He sighs, and backs off for a moment.

"I'll tell you once and that's it. It's possible that the Tamer-Tamed bond has pushed us so close to one another that you've taken the want to protect me and mine to protect you as the human emotion of love. An it probably is love- I've seen demons fall in love before- but only that of a brother. I know that that's how I feel for you". I explain at length.


	7. Chapter 7

I sigh as I stand next to my Master as he faces the window of his- kind of our- room. My arms stay behind my back, my body at attention like a soldier's. Today, we're going to France. Why? Because a giant tower is being built in honor of the French Revolution, and there's going to be a fare. The Queen will be going to this fare, and Ciel has decided that he, his butler and his guardian may be needed. Thus, this morning the other servants are working to pack up a carriage of Ciel's things. Clothing for the most part. Maybe a gun or two but that's it. Sebastian has already taken care of clothing for himself and I.

It takes us no time at all to get to the ship that carries us all the way to France. And the whole time Ciel's head is in the clouds. Luckily, it's not because of Abberline's death. No, it's because of what Lau had said and the fact that both he and Abberline as pawns tried to get closer to Ciel than needed- let alone disobeyed orders.

None the less, the World Fair is greater than I expected, with the Eiffel Tower acting as the entrance and other exhibits being set up, it truly is a remarkable fair. Sebastian had suggested that we walk around for just a bit longer, if only to see how Funtom corporation stands up to the other ones that could be considered competition. However, we decided to go see what we over heard two men talking about; a stuffed angel.

"What? It's just a monkey," Ciel scoffs out with a roll of his eye. "This is a waste of time," he tells us, "Let's go". However, apparently something is different about his winged monkey as suddenly it comes to life, destroying the lights in the room and encasing it in darkness. At first, Ciel had been shocked like anyone else.

"Calm down," Sebastian tells our Master, "This twilight is nothing compared to the impenetrable darkness you've been through. Phobia, take him outside the fair grounds and wait for me there; I'll take care of this".

"Right," I nod out, and grab my Master's wrist to pull him along in the right direction. By now, I know his entire past, and I know he's not afraid to run let alone stand in the dark. However, he can't see in the dark like Sebastian and I can. Therefore he's in more danger than normal. It takes us little to no time to make it into the light, which for a moment seems more dazzling than it should be.

"Amazing...Is this the world I live in?" It seems the light has made Ciel see things in a new way for a moment as well. However, both he and I catch sight of something that scares him and pisses me off. He turns to run, and I snarl before quickly and easily catch up with him. We run together into a room with various seats, and I slam the door shut while his small body leans against mine to catch its breath. I don't need air, but still. I would have fought there, however Ciel's safety comes before my hatred.

"Oh? Long time no see, Ciel," a gentle voice speaks up, and for a moment there's another snarl on my face. However, upon seeing the owner of the voice, I relax.

"Your Majesty!" There's a shuffle of the room we're in, which turns out to be rising.

"It's good to see you again. Please, take in the view from here," she requests of us. "The world around us is beautiful, and before the new age, we will change Europe. However, there is a stain, there," a spot in the city, "And a stagnation there," along a river. "There is uncleanliness there as well," she points to Ciel and my eyes narrow. "Everything must be destroyed. Without destruction there is no creation. In order to welcome the pure new century, we have purged the Phantomhive household that has come to embody all of the negative traits of our country". What the hell is she talking about? Her words are against my Master, and I don't like it.

Soon enough, the room comes to a stop and the Queen exits it in a care free manor. She then climbs the rest of the stairs up to the top of the tower, singing, "London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London bridge is falling down, my fair lady". And then humming it the rest of the way after that. Is she the one that my Master has been searching for all this time? The true puppet Master among all those that have been taken down?

"Let me just ask you one question. Why didn't you just kill us? Why did you have to set it up in such a wretched way?" Ciel wonders. Why indeed.

"Oh Ciel, don't put in such an ominous way," the Queen turns to face us. "It was purification".

"Do you call looking down up on the deceased 'purification'?" He demands.

"We have looked down upon them?" The Queen wonders, hunching over a bit as though in sorrow or confusion.

"Exactly!"

"We have looked down upon them...We should have at least personally visited the graves of the Phantomhive family, who have always rendered us such devoted service," why is she talking in the second person?

"What the?!" Oh good, he's confused too. A gust of wind blows away the Queen's vale to show us a rather pretty silver haired girl with bright turquoise eyes. Is Ciel surprised by who she is because this is the first time seeing her face? Or maybe because he knows her...? There's a sound of chuckling, and we turn to face no one but Mr. Ash himself.

"Are you surprised?" He asks, high and mighty, "She looks like an innocent young girl as fresh as new grass".

"Ash!"

"Her Majesty lost her husband in the midst of truly happy days. Over the loss of her husband, Her Majesty decided to close the curtain of Her life. She wished to be by her dearly beloved husband's side for all of eternity. So I granted her wish and joined her body with her husband's".

"Our spouse is pleased with our efforts, this we know. When we do this, his body leaps for joy," the Queen speaks up, "A throbbing feeling. We wish we could convey this wondrous feeling of utmost joy to the Phantomhives, of truly becoming one with the one you loved in the truest of senses. Death would certainly not be something horrible". Stop talking, girl, you're freaking my Master out.

"Her Majesty and Her husband are determined to lead England into a world full of untainted light," Ash steps in, "On this course, Her Majesty freed Herself from any impurity and became this girl of spotless integrity. What a sublime resolution. Remarkably so for an angel's Master".

"Angel?! Don't tell me you're-" Ciel starts.

"Ash. Please end Ciel with that blade of yours," the Queen orders with a smile. My crimson orbs narrow and my body crouches dangerously, coming in front of the boy's. "Ash's blade is incredibly beautiful. Like the sunrise of the new century".

"Let me show you this blade, and send the beast within you to kingdom come," Ash lightly coos. "May your afterlife be eternally white, Ciel Phantomhive!" And with that said, he rushes at my Master. However, I'll have none of that and I step directly in front of the blade, lifting a hand and letting it take the force. The blade enters my skin and my eyes narrow. He's strong. Sebastian, whom I had smelled moments before his arrival, jumps in and scoops up Ciel, taking him away from harm for the time being.

"No matter how beautiful that sword of yours is, it has no meaning if it cannot hit its target," Sebastian taunts lowly.

"Or at least," I pull my hand from the blade and watch as the wound closes it self instantly. I begin to clean the hand by licking the blood away, "Not if you hit the wrong target".

"Give the order," Sebastian demands.

"Kill Ash," Ciel demands.

"Is that all?"

"Kill the Queen," he continues.

"Phobia, protect Ciel," Sebastian demands as he leaps to attack the angel. My eyes narrow and I nod.

"What?! No! Please no, Ciel stop that man! Please!" The battle goes to the point of harming even the tower, Ash's blade easily cutting through the metal. "Please Ciel! Please!" There's a sound of crashing down below.

"Sebastian! Stop!" Ciel orders, and my head whips in his direction, appalled.

"Why did you stop me?" Sebastian demands, obviously angry.

"You've been noticed," Ciel states.

"They're just humans," I step in, "Why care for them".

"I said withdraw; that's what we'll do for now," Ciel demands. The end result is us riding in the carriage back to the hotel. Both Sebastian and I are rather unhappy, scowls on our faces.

"Why did you stop me?" Sebastian demands again.

"I told you before, you were noticed, that is all," Ciel states.

"Don't tell me you care for the Queen still. Will you still give your loyalty even though you've learned the truth?" I growl out.

"Ha! I was never loyal to her. I was just playing as the head of the Phantomhive family should," Ciel tells me.

"Then you weren't starting to care for your soul? Just what was that oath back then?" Sebastian demands. I don't know what they're talking about, but I can only assume Sebastian is talking about the deal they made.

"As if, it's not like a soul exists. Give me a-," the glare that Sebastian had been wearing but keeping away from him is finally turned to him, and it obviously spooks him into silence.

"You seem tired," Sebastian states coolly, "Why don't you retire to the hotel for the night?" And that's where we go. That night finds the three of us being rather quite, more so than our usual silence at least. "This city is revolting".

"Ever since that night, it's been your duty to button up my shirt," Ciel speaks up. "Although I thought it was just a demon's imitation of a butler, you always played your role superbly".

"That is what is to be expected of a butler of the Phantomhive family," Sebastian states with a frown still on his face. "Let us end our conversation here. It's time for you to sleep, Bocchan".

"Good night, Master," I state as I follow Sebastian out of the room.

"May you forget everything and sleep well," we intone as one, and the demon that's the same height as I closes the door behind us as I carry the candles.

Once a good distance away from his room, Sebastian speaks up to me, "You don't have to leave him". It seems he's noticed my reluctance. But I have seen his as well.

"Ahh, but I do," I sigh out, "My loyalty is to you first, Sebastian, you tamed me after all. You are my true Master".

"Am I now?" He raises a brow.

"Yes. Once a Hell Hound is truly tamed, they stay by the side of their demon Tamer for all of eternity. It's not our choice, such a way of thought has been ground into me since before birth. You could say it's in my blood. Is that so wrong?" I answer.

"Then...As your true Master, I order you to come here," Sebastian motions as he opens the door to his room. Shit. I do as he says, and gently he takes the candles from my hand, placing them safely to the side, and then corners me against a wall. I am defiant the whole time.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demand as an arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me close. His nose is burried in the crook of my neck.

"How odd, that although you are a dog, I cannot bring myself to honestly hate you," Sebastian honestly mutters into my skin. He holds me tighter. I fight his tighter hold. "Stop. Let me have this sensation. This so very human sensation that never in my hundreds of years of life have I felt".

"I think humans call that love, if you're describing such a thing. Either that or your lust is so strong that you think it's love," I tell him with a grunt. He bites the junction of my shoulder and neck harshly, spit already falling onto the skin and spreading out with the lapping of his tongue. A shiver of pleasure runs down my spine.

"Love? Demons don't love," he tells me.

"Some demons do. I've seen it happen," I respond. "It's not uncommon among stronger demons actually. For whatever reason".

"If this is the demonic version of love," he looks to me, "Then I love you. Do you love me?"

"That's hard to say," I look away and sigh. "A Hell Hound has never fallen in love with his or her demonic Tamer. Who's to say I am different?"

"Who is to say that you're not?"

"This is just lust," I sigh out, and press against his chest, pushing him back. "You're confused. What's probably going on is that the bond between us as Tamer and Tamed is strong enough for you to feel a brotherly love for me. But that's not the same as the love that humans have when they get married".

"Then why does my heart pound harshly when I'm near you?" Sebastian whispers into my ear, his tongue tracing a line along it ever so gently. Another shiver runs over me.

"Would you stop? Why are you so attentive about this now of all times?" I growl, pushing him further away.

"Would you refrain from fighting me?" He requests, "It gets rather annoying after a while".

"You've only just started to come onto me like...Maybe a week ago at most," I sigh out. "Besides, you're confused and that's it! Control yourself, brother".

"I am an impatient demon when I am not hunting," Sebastian explains, "I will not settle and will keep pushing until you realize that despite it being young and fresh, there are human feelings there. If you say they're not uncommon among us stronger demons, then why are you fighting so hard?"

"Because all this time I've wanted nothing but to make you happy. But I've only ever wanted to make you happy as a brother should. I don't know how old you really are, but as a brother of at least the same age as you, and as the Tamed of us to, I want to see you happy. If I were to feel human emotions such as love, it would be towards a woman, in terms of which you seem to be feeling. But I just love you as a brother. Nothing more, nothing less". I push him away fully this time.

"Hmmm...So you're saying that this heart throbbing feeling I'm having currently is lust. And that because I our connection as a brotherly bond between us, you think I may be confusing or mixing the emotions into something akin to human love for you?" Sebastian demands.

"That's exactly what I think, actually. You're confused. Collect yourself and think things through" Our eyes meet perfectly.

"Think things through?"

"Analize what I've said, and apply them to what you're feeling now. Man, brother, I would have thought you were smarter than this".

"Forgive me, human emotions are so easy to misconstrue".

"I know," I sigh out, running my clawed hand through my hair. I've yet to retract them to their shorter length.

"...Fine then," Sebastian states after a moment, a small smile on his face.

"Just like that?".

"Of course. Like you have said, I am a smart person, and I should be able to to detangle the feelings. I already have, and you are correct. I confused lust and human emotion for the love of a brotherly bond that we seem to have found. However, I wonder, if you've never been tamed before why is it that you know these things?".

"Simple," I tell him with a chuckle, "I've lived around humans for a long enough time to be able to tell what emotion is what and how it works in theory. Not only that, but we wolves of the Syn pack are rather human like in our emotions and how we communicate with one another. Over all, let's just say experience".

"I see...Teach me the ways of these human emotion theories," Sebastian requests. I nod, and for the rest of the night I teach him the theory of each human emotion I am knowledgeable about. From love to lust, sadness to happiness to depression. To anger and a want for revenge. We don't sleep that night, however I don't mind as it was fun teaching him something I knew and he didn't. Plus I'm still working on that bond even if it is at a brotherly state now.

The next morning, Sebastian and I separate. Why? Because he ordered me to watch over our Master. We had said goodbye, but that doesn't mean that it was forever. Do you have any idea how much of a bitch it is to stay in the form of a shadow for multiple days? Not because it's hard to do, hell no. But because it's boring as all fuckin' Hell! Literally, that place is boring to me beyond no end. I sigh. However, things become interesting once Ciel has finally found his way onto a ship to London. Wait until he sees what's going on there. I expect Ash to have started something deadly to everything out there. Delusional asshole.

"I will tell you one thing, however," oh yea, did I forget to mention that the Undertaker is here? Yea, for some reason- cough Ash cough- he's being sent to England to collect a bunch of souls as up above is swamped. And the reason why it is is given almost right away. England is burning down. My eyes narrow and I no longer spend time with Ciel. He'll have to take care of myself. I move from Ciel's shadow and appear in a random shadow near Sebastian within seconds.

"So this is what Ash is causing?" I ask him.

"It seems so". Sebastian looks down upon the helpless humans as they run this way and that to try and get away from the fire. There's a familiar sound that I know all too well, and my ears follow it to its owner.

"He managed to gain control over a Hell Hound?" I question with a raised brow. "He's only got one tail. And he's breathing fire. Normally one tailed Hell Hounds are weak. However, the Fire pack is well known for its power that comes close to rival us Syns. Interesting".

"If you're finished admiring his work, we have someone to meet up with," the black haired demon informs me. I nod, and we head off in another direction.

"Ahh, you're both here. What do you think of my work?" Ash turns to face the two of us.

"Compared to the Great England Fire of 1666, this one is spreading rather slowly," Sebastian informs him with narrowed eyes.

"I see, once dirt and vice get stuck to something, it requires quite an effort to eradicate them. However," as the angel raises his arms, the flames become higher, "Once this fire has burned everything down, a long awaited gate will appear on this ordinary earth. I will open the gate to the next era".

"Ahh, you're just a load of bullshit," I sigh out, causing the angel to glare at me. "The fire isn't hot enough," I grin out, "That's why it's spreading so slowly. Only a hot fire can burn everything down". So Master, what will you do? I know you like chess, and you're the only piece left on the board- that you know of. Will you loose...Or will you somehow bring together a victory? As one, the three of us move to follow the young man who runs closer to the source of the fire instead of away from it. There, we see that Bard and Finny are there as well.

"Heh, you, who once challenged me to a duel for the sake of your Master, are just standing here watching his tragic story come to an end at my side. And you," he speaks now of me, "Who so obediently took my blade for the boy, won't even go down to save him from the fires".

"We do not move without our Master's say," Sebastian speaks for the both of us. "And as it stands, neither of us currently have a Master whom we should obey".

"I've been thinking: As ruler of the pure new world that is to come...I could become one with you," he tells my Tamer.

"Even though I am the very origin of the impurity you so despise? What of Phobia?"

"If you look at it closely, everything radiates an intense light. Dusk and dawn, man and woman, light and dark. Should all of these be honored and united into one, the pristine being blessed with Father's love will come into existence. Pluto, the Hell Hound that is the source of these fires, has already been purged. You could say he's the first Hound of Heaven. Phobia, it would be wonderful if you were to become one with him. As you are tamed by Sebastian, Pluto is tamed by me. I know I don't want Pluto to leave my side, and I know you don't want to leave Sebastian's".

"Are you asking us to become one of your vulgar stitched up dolls?" Sebastian wonders.

"No," Ash assures, and then opens up his shirt to show pale skin and a well built chest, "If you want," why is his voice doubled over? "I can take you in as a woman, Sebastian. My Heaven Hound can do the same for you, Phobia". Our eyes turn down to the group of four below us.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ciel demands coldly. Does he know we're here?...No. "Look at his eyes. What shame it is to have lost one's self and to be able to do nothing about it. You three should know that the best! That hound may have been like Phobia back in the day, but he has been changed through and through. This is an order: Bard, Meirin, Finny, kill that hound. And put him out of his misery. He is not Phobia".

There is a sad look in the trio's eyes before they sigh. "Yes sir!" They salute as one. Bard and Meirin take up guns, and Finny himself picks up a rather large bolder above his head. Ciel in the mean time runs off the way he and Meirin came.

"That's to be expected from one who was the Master of two demons," Ash's doubled over voice speaks up, "A cold and unforgiving soul that cannot be saved". However, Sebastian and I don't stay long enough for Ash to turn back to us.

"We're going to him, aren't we?" I ask as I leap at Sebastian's side. He is silent until a rather sly smile spreads across his face. I chuckle low. "You are cruel". It takes us no time to make it to our Master's side. However, he has already bitten one bullet in the side, and his blood has already been spilled. It has managed to fall in the form of the seal that rests in his right eye.

"Ahh so you've finally woken up, have you?" Sebastian speaks up just as he stops the bullets from hurting Ciel. They rest in between his fingers.

"Took you long enough," I tease myself. I however, have already found the one who shot Ciel in the first place, My claws are extended to their full length as to be double the length of my fingers. My left hand is on the man's left shoulder, and my right pointer finger is positioned to slit his throat. The other fingers of my right hand, are pointed in a way that'll allow me to bypass the sternum and pierce his heart. I watch with a smirk that allows one of my fangs to pop out over my lower lip as Sebastian easily returns the bullets that he caught. All that is left is the first shooter.

"Where have you two been?" Ciel demands with a glare.

"Just making preparations for the last dinner is all," Sebastian explains. "At times it's sweet, hot, and sour. One must use the correct spices or else the meal won't be right". There's a creepy grin on his face, and I roll my eyes. Sadist. Oh...Wait...I'm one too...My bad. Heheh. "And because of that, I will be able to enjoy the rarest soul. The rarest supper".

"This is an order: Take me to that murderous angel!" Ciel commands, holding a hand to the hole in his side.

"As you command. Come, Phobia," Sebastian states, picking up Ciel and walking passed my hostage.

"As you wish," I grin out. My left claws promptly digs into the man's shoulder, causing him to scream. This scream is turned into a rattling gurgle as my pointer finger easily cuts into his throat. And the gurgle is silenced by the rest of my claws. From there, I turn to jog in the direction of the demon and my Master, tongue dancing along my still extended claws. I think I'll keep them this way until Sebastian actually has his meal. After that, I don't know what we'll do.

It takes us no time at all to exit the castle and find our way to the river that runs through the city. I jump down from the ledge and take a hold of the paddle in the back, steering it so that it's facing in the correct direction.

"Bocchan, this is going to take some time," Sebastian tells our Master. However, the boy doesn't seem to have a problem with that. I push the boat off, and direct it through the water that's not only filled with rubble, but also bodies.

"Where are we going?" Ciel wonders to us.

"In this world, there are 'Demon Bridges' that we have created. Tower Bridge on the side is a 'Sacred Bridge' which an angel had the Queen build," Sebastian states.

You can easily hear the moaning of all of those that have been used to create the bridge, and I'm surprised that Ciel is surprised that something such as human sacrifices would occur in making something 'sacred'. "Exaggerated saintliness is something that is far worse than any evil, Master. At least our evil doesn't try shit like this," I comment to the boy as I continue to steer. We come to a small docking place where I tie the boat down.

"Bocchan, wait here for a little while," Sebastian states, handing the boy off to me.

"I'm coming too," Ciel demands.

"Let me make this clear: You will hold me back".

"Oh? So you're saying that you can't defeat him with me tying you down?" Ciel mocks.

"I'll take care of him," I tell my Tamer, easily carrying the boy and easily keeping my claws from hurting him. If I had to be careful, then I wouldn't be as skilled a demon as I know I am.

"Very well," the black haired demon gives in, "You both may stay in the lounge. Phobia, I'll kill you if a hair on his head is harmed".

"You underestimate me, Tamer," I sigh out. From there, I place Ciel on my shoulder and follow Sebastian up the ladder.

"They are ablaze, both this land and the Queen's dreams," Ash coos out. I can smell salt in this putrid air. "At last, the grand and brilliant day of our Father is at hand. Blood and smoke are heralds of its coming. Don't you think...Demons?"

"Why did you even kill the Queen?" Ciel demands from his bridal position in my arms.

"Because She was fish-eyed".

"Fish-eyed?"

"Her gaze, which should have been focused on the future, was drawn to the past and began to decay. Utterly stagnant. I had no choice but to purge Her," Ash answers. From there, I do my job of taking Ciel out of the way, and place him on a metal step.

"Forgive me Master, this is the best seat I or my Tamer can provide," I tell him.

"I see," the boy mutters. I move to his side, arms at my sides and claws of course still extended.

"Give me your order," Sebastian states.

The boy takes off his eye patch, and throws it into the wind, letting eventually fall to the ashen and burning ground. "Kill that man, the angel".

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian kneels obediently before standing. "Phobia, protect him".

"Of course, Tamer," I nod coolly.

"Once this bridge is finished, it will become the eastern barrier. Protecting this city from uncleanliness," Ash vows, "Should a demon ever step passed this gate, as an angel I'll have no choice but to purge him. Until he is nothing but white, stainless, emotionless". His sword is drawn, the silver of the blade shining brightly in the light created by the fires below. "Lifeless".

And so, the fight begins. The two lunge at one another, Sebastian with his seemingly indestructible knives, and the angel with his sword. They clash, and end up on opposite pipes. Again they flip at one another, meeting in the air as knives meet sword. They land where they had started. My eyes widen as moaning appears of dark figures grabbing at the butler.

"Sebastian!" Ciel jolts forward, and I crouch down to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not move from this spot," I tell him, "Sebastian will be perfectly fine. I assure you. The fight has only begun". However, the fog only grows and grows, grabbing at Sebastian and myself and Ciel. However, they don't feel harmful. Just uncomfortable.

"Ahh, this fog. What a wonderful feeling of warm slime surpassing even the finest of furs," Ash's voice takes on Angela's and I snarl. Damn bastard and his apparent ability to switch genders.

"An angel enjoying uncleanliness? A fallen one," Sebastian states.

"The joy of the impure is something that is unbearably disagreeable to me. However," damn it Ash, stop taking her voice. White feathers come flying at Sebastian, by passing the fog. "The despair of the impure gives me power". The fog above is beginning to create the symbol that had been burnt into Ciel's side, I growl at the fog as it begins to collect even more upon us. "Ahh, my power is greatly increasing. What should I do?" A voice switch to Angela's, "I still haven't given up on you. Or Phobia for that matter".

"Women who couple with dogs are not to my taste," Sebastian sneers.

"If you cannot accept me as a woman, then as a man I will become a ray of light," Ash replies. He's playing with my Tamer. "That will penetrate you all the way down to the core," the female voice speaks as she licks her sword.

"Distasteful through and through," I hear Sebastian mutter.

"This guy is pissing me off," I growl. Sebastian and I are courting now, of course I'm going to be jealous. A bright light comes from Ash's sword.

"The final judgment! Demon, your chest shall be the sheath to my sword! Keh!" He grins wildly, "Accept my sword!"

However, it's not Sebastian's chest that is cut, but his arm is lobbed off. My eyes widen in surprise. What is the idiot doing? I sigh. He plays with his food much too often. Even I know when to stop.

"Sebastian!" Ciel lunges forward again.

"Didn't I tell you that he'll be fine? Master, my Tamer is strong," I assure, "A lost limb will not stop him until the order is pulled through. He'll kill the bitch, don't worry," I push the boy back into his eat.

"He just lost an arm! How can I not worry?" Ciel demands from me.

"By staying silent and believing in him. He's a Phantomhive butler. They're strong," I sigh out.

"You are a demon. Your pain is wonderful. It is the greatest of pleasures," Ash's doubled over voice coos with a smile. "A climax that can only be savored by experiencing once's body being ripped apart". He laughs his insane laugh again and lunges, just barely missing Sebastian's arm again. The demon looks back to myself and Ciel, eyes narrowed. "Looking away during a beautiful battle like this spoils the fun!" However, the fog begins to stop its attack. For when they try to, they're stopped by a small burst of blue light.

"Heheh, so they are here. Of course they are," I chuckle out.

"Who are you talking about?" Ciel looks to me.

I take a long whiff of the air, my eyes closed and nose searching. "The Undertaker, Grell, and Will are down below," I tell him. "They're taking care of the source of he fog".

"Shinigami! They dare interfere with this sublime and holy ceremony?" Ash growls out.

"How disappointing. It looks like the climax will never come," Sebastian smirks out, "Shall I launch a counterattack?"

"How sad. Although I was hoping to enjoy this a bit more, under these circumstances," Ash places two fingers to his lips, and my eyes narrow. He whistles long and loud, high pitched. I smirk and I'm sure that Sebastian is smiling.

"Your Heaven's Hound is dead," I snicker out. "What will you do now?"

"So you did it, everyone. Well done," Sebastian praises.

"Every, every, every, every, every single one of them!" Ash growls out with his head bowed. "Die in hellfire!" He rises to the sky, and with spread wings, feathers faster than bullets rain down on us.

"Bocchan! Phobia!" Sebastian calls out. However, it is not he to protects us.

No, my turn. Dark fire erupts around me and with one of my tails I pull Sebastian under my massive wolven form. Dust is picked up and things crash. Multiple feathers enter my being, and I grunt. It burns like poison. However, I am strong, and this simple attack won't take me down. "Master, Sebastian," I growl out once back in my human form. Darkness gathers around me and my suit is reformed as I stand up. Tendrils of darkness pull the feathers out of my back. They were lodged in there deep, and even with my healing factor it will take time. However, it was worth it.

"P-Phobia?" The two intone.

"I can't let you have all the spotlight, Sebastian. Besides, you've gotta save your energy for the ass," I grin out. A bloody glove comes to my face.

"Bocchan...I need you to do me a favor," Sebastian looks down at the boy even as his hand is on me. "I am a butler of the Phantomhive family. I cannot allow you to see my true form as it may change my Master's thoughts on me. Please, until I say so, keep your eyes closed".

"...Understood," the boy relents.

"Phobia...Thank you," Sebastian now looks to me, "For protecting him".

"I'm his guardian, it's my job," I smirk out, a clawed hand moving to his bloody one on my face. His blood has such a nice smell to it. Just like the rest of him.

His forehead touches my own, and a gentle smile spreads across his face. "If demons like you and I can love like you say they can...Then I love you, brother" he tells me. I'm not big on being dominated on anything or by anyone. But, for my Tamer...The man that loves me, I will fall to my knees and beg like a starved dog. This, I've heard, is what the bond between a Tamer and a tamed does. It makes us so close that we come to love one another, whether it's as lovers or a siblings. For us, it's siblings it seems. This, I don't mind as I've said it before, I'm not gay.

"Come back to me, brother," I tell him after our lips are done touching. "You die, and I'll never forgive you".

"Fair enough. Make sure he keeps his eyes closed," Sebastian releases me with a light smile.

"Go kick ass already, okay?" I smirk out. I'd heal him if I could, but darkness can only heal me. If I try to heal him, he'll die. Demon or not. I look to see Ciel's eyes still closed, and I lift him into my arms. "It's almost over, Master" A shame. I like the boy.

"Now I can show you my true nature," Sebastian tells the angel, dark feathers falling from no where around him. A face splitting grin spreads across my face. "Unsightly, ugly, vicious. My true form". I wouldn't say that his true form is that unsightly. However, it is vicious. And I love it. I won't tell you what he looks like in his true form, as that would be no fun. However, I'll give you some hints. He wears stiletto boots, and he's earned himself some fangs, His gloves are black and allow for his claws to be shown without hindrance by claws. His eyes, as you may have guessed, are a vibrant pink color with slitted pupils. His hair becomes a bit more messy, and above all, dark feathers are constantly meshing with feathers of light. I grin. A vicious sight indeed. I personally have three forms- two of which you know about and then my true form. However, it is unneeded for me to show you such a sight.

"Bocchan," Sebastian speaks up as his boots click against the metal, "It's all over".

"It is...Tell me," Ciel opens his eyes to see a single armed Sebastian with a smile on his face, "Just who are you now?"

"That's a silly question," Sebastian answers, "Before my Master, I am and always will be, one hell of a butler". It is from that moment that we make our way back down the ladder, and to the boat below. This time, Sebastian steers the boat through the gate that has been completed with the death of an angel. A true sacrificial gate. "Phobia, please give Bocchan something more decent to wear".

"Of course," I nod out and place two clawed hands, the claws now retracted since all is done, on his shoulders. Darkness swirls around him gently, and his clothing is ripped off his body. That clothing is replaced by a black and white suit that looks like a smaller version of my own, a white rose in the suit jacket's pocket.

The boy decides that he'll lay down for a bit. However, when he feels the air shift, his eye opens. "Where are we?"

"You're awake now," I greet with a grin, sitting at my Tamer's feet

"Do you want to know?" Sebastian questions.

"I'm asking because I want to know. Well, actually, even not knowing, I feel comfortable," he looks to the sky to see two birds making their way above us, "It feels like I've been sleeping for quite a while". He looks down to the water below, "What's this?"

"Your Cinematic Record," I answer smoothly, "Looks like it's drifted even down to here".

"I see," he gazes, "So this is my life so far. I am...Already dead".

"Not yet," Sebastian assures, "I will deliver death unto you before long". He stops paddling. "I will see through to it to the very end, as your devoted butler".

"Heh, Elizabeth must be crying like a baby," Ciel mutters.

"Well, she did love you very much from what I've seen," I tell him.

"When Madam Red died, her endless blubbering came to be annoying," Ciel sighs out. I wasn't there for that though.

"Yes. But maybe she was crying for our warped young Master," Sebastian agrees and offers.

We now see images of Bard, Meirin and Finny, "Did they die?"

"I don't think they did," I admit, "They were breathing at the time, and they didn't smell of death".

"Their tenaciousness surely is greater than the average person," Ciel mutters. "This talk of everything is surely premature". However, he sees speckles of lights and becomes curious. "What is that light?"

"That's the feelings of those who came to know you, have for you," I explain

"Feelings for me? They're beautiful".

"Beautiful?" Sebastian and I intone, confused.

"These farewells aren't sorrowful to me. Instead, they're beautiful," Ciel explains plainly. Sebastian steps forward for a moment and hands the boy a book that says 'diary' on the front. "What's this?"

"Tanaka's diary. We thought you'd like to read it for the long journey," I tell him casually. I already know what the books says. In reality, Ciel's father knew of the Queen's plans, and yet remained loyal to her. This fact was kept a secret from Ceil as his father believed that nothing could be born from hatred. And for the most part he is correct. It is then that we can see a dark kind of lumpy figure coming to us through the fog- or at least getting closer. We're almost to our destination.

When we make it there, Sebastian is doing the duty of carrying our Master into the broken down brick building on the island that we stand. That's what the lumpy thing was, and island. I sigh as I stand a bit at a distance, letting the two of them talk as they please. After all, their deal is coming to an end.

"So, this is the place where I'll meet my end?" Ciel looks up, "The birds up there are waiting for their chance".

"Yes," Sebastian doesn't deny.

"Give the remains to them, once you've taken the soul," the boy tells him, and he earns himself a nod. He places a hand to his covered eye and asks, "Will it hurt?"

"Yes. A little. I'll be as gentle as I can," Sebastian offers.

"No. Make it as painful as you wish. Engrave the feeling of being alive into my soul," Ciel tells him, surprising us both. I smile, and I can't help but feel the urge to whimper.

"Goodbye, Master," I call to him.

His attention comes to me, and for once since I've met him, he offers me a kind smile. "You were a very good dog, Phobia. Even when you couldn't talk. I have one last order for you".

"Yes?"

"Stay with him until the end of days," he tells me.

I bow low, claws extended as this is most comfortable for me. One arm falls behind my back, and the other curls in font of my waist, "As you wish, Master". It is then that Sebastian takes off his last glove, and runs a hand over Ciel's face, brushing off the eye patch. I don't bother to see how he makes the soul's extraction. As as soon as Sebastian takes off his glove, I am in my wolven form and howling to the crescent moon.


	8. Chapter 8

It is wet and dark and stormy, yet I do not care for my own well being. Just the well being of my Tamer, and the case he is carrying. I growl lowly back at the thunder that rumbles tauntingly down at us. I'd ask my Tamer if he was sure that the stuff would be where we're going, but I can't talk in this form. The downside to being a rather over grown ten tailed wolf. However, it is not long until we make it to our destination, and I am pleased.

"Phobia, it will be fine now. If I'm dry, then my words will be thrown away," my Sebastian tells me as we are about ten or so yards away from the front door.

I let out a grunt before darkness that dances like fire encases me and I take to my more human form. The darkness, this time flowing like water, flows over my form to dress me in a black suit with a crimson button up shirt. Sebastian knocks, and the door is answered by a tall man with glasses.

"It is cold and wet out," Sebastian states, "Would it be possible for the two of us to take shelter here?

"Who is it Claude? Oh! Two poor and dirty men!" The boy before us coos. However, he gets close to Sebastian and takes a sniff. I hold back a growl. Damn brat, getting close to my brother. "Yet, you smell good". He takes a turn to take in my scent as well, and again he smiles, "As do you. We have an extra room that they can stay in, right Claude?"

And so, we end up sharing a room for whatever reason. I don't mind sleeping in the same bed as my brother, however it's still odd that he gave us one room off the bat. The room is nice, but even so not as nice as Ciel's. A pretty dark skinned woman with a blue eye and long silver knocks before entering, a pitcher in her hand. My brows furrow.

"What happened to you?" Sebastian questions.

"Oh...Umm...Nothing," the woman stutters out, and takes the pitcher that was already here, taking away the cold water.

"Oh? Hanna, what are you doing here? You come in here with a bandage, thinking you can get some sympathy from the two Mr. Travelers?" The blonde boy from here, who apparently is the Lord of the household, walks into the room without a care. He then knocks the water out of her hand, and it crashes to the ground, getting water everywhere. "Get out of her you dumb whore! Leave!" The woman takes a kick and then quickly leaves the room with a bow. My hands clench into fists in my pockets. Damn brat.

"I'm sorry about that," the boy addresses us. "Say! What's in that chest you've got here? Is it clothing? Maybe treasure?" He comes between us and hangs off of our beloved package. "You both are lucky, being able to travel. I wish I could; this mansion is boring"

"We heard that there's something amazing down below this mansion," Sebastian speaks up. If you take us there, we'll show you what's in the trunk".

"Really?!"

"We wouldn't lie to you, sir," I tell him, a smile hidden by jacket.

"Alright! I'll show you the way!" The boy grins out, and we head down stairs. He opens a door that he doesn't have to bend down to go through, however Sebastian and I do. I grunt and look Sebastian's way; someone is following us. He gives me a look that tells me to let him take care of this, and I nod.

"This must be it," we stop in front of a shelf, and the boy takes the box down.

"This?"

"New Moon Drop. I've heard that tea leaves freshly picked on the night of a full moon have a soft and sweet scent. But picking them on nights of the new moon, the leaves are given a scent that resembles a bottomless darkness. It's also called 'Motion of the Soul'," Sebastian reaches forward to take the box.

"Hold on, this still isn't enough," the boy pulls his hand away.

"Still?" I question.

"I'll show you. But before that-"

"Before that, I will have you hand over that trunk to me," the voice of the bespectacled butler speaks up. We turn around, and golden knives are thrown at our hats and coats. "Sebastian Michaelis, and Phobia Syn".

Keep your gloves on, Phobia, let him do this, I tell myself. There's another wave of knives that come at us, and while Sebastian throws up his coat to block them, I take the tea leaves while he carries our luggage with him. When he passes Claude, I dip down to trip the demon smoothly, and then dart up the stairs after my brother.

"Don't kill him! You mustn't kill him! Just capture him, Claude!" I hear the boy order the demon from below. I look over my shoulder to see more knives coming at us as Sebastian moves to cover the trunk. I in the mean time turn and with impressive speed pluck most of the knives but two out of the air. The two that didn't get plucked out of the air land in my right shoulder.

"You're risking your lives for that trunk...What is in there I wonder?" Claude throws a plate at us, and we move to dodge it. However, Sebastian's hold on the trunk is improper, and he ends up having to come to a sitting position so that the sleeping Ciel- that is now shown to the boy and demon- doesn't hit the ground via falling.

"Ciel Phantomhive!" Claude announces.

"Ciel Phantomhive! Finally, I have my hands on him!" The boy brightly beams.

"No you don't!" Sebastian states lowly, and pulls the knives from my shoulder as I sit on his right. They fly at the boy, only for Claude to catch him. "We cannot allow you to touch him. If he were touched by someone as low as you, who also owns a low grade servant...Would only hurt Bocchan". He takes off and lands on a food cart.

"What?!" The boy exclaims.

I in the mean time follow up on his attack with the knives by lunging at the boy. Claude is fast to react, however, and he grabs my hand in an attempt to break it. My free hand grabs his throat and I promptly slam him into the floor. "You'll die before you touch my Master," I snarl out, showing a set of fangs. I leave it at that and in order to cover more ground, I run on all fours after my Tamer.

"To touch something that is meant to transport food with one's shoes is a disgrace for a butler. And running on all fours only shows the world but are nothing but a beast," Claude gets up quickly.

"Ahh, but I am nothing but a-...Oh, it's too early for that," Sebastian chuckles out.

"Come now, brother, you know you want to say it," I chuckle back from my position on all fours. My Tamer ramps the food cart onto a railing of the two sets of main stairs that curve towards the middle of the room. I merely run down the stairs until the bottom and then jump onto the ceiling whilst Claude lands on the floor after sliding down his railing. Little hooks of darkness appear on my fingers and feet, acting like the same hooks on a spider's legs that allows it to stick to something they shouldn't be able to.

"Your way is 'Light into Dark, sugar into salt, and blue turned to gold'. We will make gold pitch black," Sebastian declares, and forces the chandelier to fall and take everything into darkness. The boy cries in shock and fear, and I break through a window with Sebastian following after. Fire made of darkness licks my skin, and soon enough I'm in my wolven form with my brother on my back, a hand buried in my fur to keep with the motion of my running and Ciel resting in front of him with his arm holding it tightly. "You have what we need?"

"Woof!" I nod my head to show him that I do. It's hidden in my shadow.

"Good boy," Sebastian smirks.

"Aarf!" I'd wag my tail if I weren't busy getting us away.

I sigh as I let the sun soak into my hair and sit next to a certain pink clad girl. Sebastian rows our boat smoothly while the boy that's laying down rests his eyes for a good while. That is, until he opens his eyes and looks around.

"Have a good sleep?" I ask with a tilt of my head.

"That was a long break you took, Bocchan, time to get to work," Sebastian announces once the boy is done seeing that not only are Sebastian and I here, but so are Lady Elizabeth, Bard, Meirin, and Finny. The latter three being in a boat which Bard steers along. "We're almost to our destination".

Where we end up is a water gate, which has a red ribbon tied around it with us standing on the gate. Sebastian and I stand at each of Ciel's sides, he in his butler's uniform and I in my black suit with a red button up shirt and black tie. "These waters have been haunted. However, with your help we managed to create another water gate within the Phantomhive estate which pleases me to the utmost. Just like the generations before me, who have focused on the project 'flood control' I will do my best to do the same". He takes a bow, and the people around us clap with praise. We walk off of the gate, Sebastian and I flanking him on each side as should be, and greet those that come to us. After politely placing some other nobles in their spots, Elizabeth comes to Ciel with something that could be considered interesting.

"A deer?" Ciel intones.

"It's a really rare deer that only shows up a few times every couple of years," she explains.

"Rare deer?"

"A white deer! It's known to bring happiness!~"

"A white deer was considered a good omen and to work better than any medicine," Sebastian explains, "It's said that it will bring happiness to anyone who gets it's message".

"Exactly! As expected Sebastian!" Elizabeth exclaims. To me though, it just sounds like it'd be a pretty good dinner.

"Heh, it's just a fairy tail. Things like this don't really exist," Ciel denies.

"Come now, you can't be like that, Master," I lightly coo.

"So mean," Elizabeth tears up as the boy turns to face her, "Ciel you're so mean!" And here come the tears.

"Oh? To make his fiancee is something that he shouldn't do, doesn't he know that?" One man speaks to another.

"They may be engaged, but it's still just like playing house," a woman speaks up from behind her fan.

"This might put a stop to their engagement; perhaps my niece has a chance now?" A second woman wonders. All of this is heard by Ciel.

"Lady Elizabeth," Ciel swallows his pride, "I would like to make an inspection down the river. And I happen to hear that the phantom white deer lives there. Would you care to accompany me?"

"I'd love to!" Talk about control of tears, she stopped right away, "I'll accompany you with pleasure!" This pleases the people around us.

While Elizabeth is off trying to pick out an outfit for the little boating expedition, Sebastian is fixing Ciel's bow tie. I in the mean time am playing the role of guardian and looking for enemies. However, I already know that there are none near by."What happened to your plans of returning right away/" The black haired demon asks.

"Change of mind. It's my duty after all. Keeping control of the river, making my fiancee happy, which are brought along with my duties of the Phantomhives' supposed status; are my duties," Ciel sighs out.

"I will go check on the boat," my brother bows before taking his leave.

"You forgot to mention that you'd have a bad taste in your mout if you let that be as it were," I smile to the boy as he takes in the look of the river.

"That's besides the point," Ciel sighs out.

"Oh? Looks like she's ready to go," I smirk to the boy and motion to the girl not too far from us. I bow to the girl who will grow up to be a fine woman, and push Ciel towards her. "Go make her happy".

As I join Sebastian again while Ciel helps Elizabeth into the boat, I sigh. "Hey Sebastian, is this really necessary?" Bard questions the butler.

"Unfortunately yes. High society has a lot of enemies in it," Sebastian answers simply, eyes glued to the writing pad in his hand.

"Enemies?" Bard and Meirin intone together.

"There's a lot of people here who want them to cancel their engagement," I explain.

"CANCEL?!" The three exclaim, and I put a hand over the ear they just blew out.

"Calm down, it's not going to happen," I assure casually. "Shall we get going then, brother?"

"But of course," Sebastian nods out.

Before I turn to follow them, my eyes narrow and I turn to face the trio, "Stay calm. Sebastian and I have this all under control. Understand?" That said, I again turn to follow and actually follow through with doing so. However, as we go down the river, Sebastian at the paddle, the trio didn't heed my words. The ended up catching everything but a deer- rabbits for Meirin, a horse for Finny and three geese for Bard. Idiots. In the end, we end up tying the boat off for lunch.

"Man, I was hoping we'd find Mr. Deer before lunch," Elizabeth sighs out as she sits down across from Ciel. "Sebastian, what's for lunch today?" She asks as while he handles the boxes that he had put on the boat.

"Today's picnic lunch features shrimp salad, salmon pate, and sandwiches with Cheshire cheese," the butler answers. Me? I'm standing guard, but I'm not far from the three of them. However, my attention goes to my brother as I hear the sound of a pig. Shit. It better not be those idiots' doing again. However, when I see birds flying out of the other box, I sigh. "Please excuse me," he smiles out.

"Huh? Where's Sebastian going with our food?" Elizabeth asks me.

I smile and bow slightly, a gloved hand over my heart, "There was a slight mix up of the boxes I'm afraid. He'll return momentarily".

"A mix up? Is Sebastian having an off day today?" She asks.

"Unfortunately you could call it that," I tell her, bloody red eyes meeting curious green.

"Oh! Well, everyone has their off days, even Sebastian. He's only human after all," she forgives.

"You are a saintess," I tell her picking myself up from my bow.

Not long after I've said this, he returns and begins to put plates down, "A souffle made of Kase and lobster, also, roasted pigeons in bouillon".

"Amazing! But it sounds different from the menu you mentioned earlier," little Elizabeth mentions.

"I changed the menu to fit our surroundings," Sebastian tells her smoothly. Once they're done with that, he places down a small cup, "This is a strawberry parfait". Again, the lady is pleased. And again, we head out to search for the deer. However, because it's begun to rain like it's no one's business, it has to be done on foot. And not only that, but Ciel decided to stop catering to Elizabeth's will and offered to simply put a bounty on the deer. Of course, this upset her, her telling him that he doesn't understand her feelings at all. And really, he doesn't. And now, off she goes into the rain.

"Oh? You upset the lady," a voice intones from behind us.

"Lau?" Ciel's honestly surprised.

"Pleasing the lady is a man's job isn't it? What a shame that an Englishman like you couldn't hold up to such standards. Oh, and it would be tragic if she got hurt, wouldn't it?" Lau smiles out.

"Phobia," Sebastian states, "Stay with Lady Elizabeth until we find the deer. Understood?"

"Understood, my Tamer," I bow to him playfully.

"There's no time to be fooling around. Go now," Sebastian sighs out, but I can see the amusement in my Tamer's eyes.

"Of course not, I was being serious," I smirk, knowing that he knows that I wasn't being serious at all. However, my smirk falls and I bow to my Master before running after the girl. Her scent is already gone. However, her footsteps haven't been washed away just yet. Unfortunately, what I find isn't all too good. There, on a boat in the raging river, is Elizabeth. What she's doing there, I haven't the slightest clue. Bard, Meirin and Finny are there as well. I grunt my eyes narrow. "Finny," I call to him, "Go get Master and Sebastian. Run as fast as you can; hurry!" The boy wastes no time at all.

"What are you going to do?" Bard asks, eyes wide with worry.

"There's not much I really can do at the moment. Ciel has to be here; this is his job," I tell him.

"You're going to risk her life just so Bocchan can make amends with her?!" Bard snaps.

"I'll make sure she doesn't die, I assure you of that," I tell him, glare set on his own, "And she won't. Not even when Ciel comes for her". I bend down to give the human a hand with the rope.

"What's going on?!" Ciel demands

"Ciel! I saw that deer on the other bank," Elizabeth calls out to him over the rushing waters, grabbing the ore behind her only to fall back to the floor of the boat. "I'm going to bring happiness to you, Ciel!" She vows, now reaching for the rope that keeps her from floating off.

"Lizzy! Stay where you are! I'm going to come get you!" Ciel tells her, "Sebastian, Phobia, this is an order: stop the flood".

"And what of yourself, Master?" I question as I continue to hold the rope.

"I'm going to get Lizzy," he tells me.

"Why doesn't Sebastian stop the flood, and I'll get her?" I suggest.

"No. It has to be me. Now go," he states determinedly.

I sigh, and bow before taking off with Sebastian at my side. "I'll break the gate," I tell my brother, "You get the others to help us because I figure that's what you were planning in the first place".

"You sure you don't want to gather the others?" Sebastian raises a brow.

"I got this, "I assure him, taking off a glove to show the retracted claws there. I curl my claw covered fingers into a fist and look to the black haired demon. "Get moving," I tell him. He takes off, and seconds later my fist comes crashing down into the brick. It wastes no time in breaking under my strike, and I leap a way in the direction that Sebastian went. What I come up to is everyone working to redirect the rush of water that has already by far washed away the children.

Long story short, Sebastian fished out our Master and his lady out of the river and we revived them both. Ciel was second of the two to wake up. When he asked why we broke the gate and caused the river to flood completely, we explained ourselves. We had redirected the river with the help of everyone as mentioned, each of us working at a fast and almost fevered pace as to make sure everything works. The end result was us creating a giant white deer out of the water, as the shape had been engraved into the ground over and over over the years. This caused a massive amount of happiness from lady Elizabeth, and a look of pleasantness to come over Ciel's. In the end, everybody wins with Sebastian and I doing our jobs as we should.


	9. Chapter 9

Today is a day where we're not doing normal work but we are doing the underworld work that the Phantomhives have been doing for years upon years. Today's case is a spontaneous combustion case in which there have been multiple victims in London. Of course the Queen would leave this to her loyal Watchdog and his pawns- Sebastian and I specifically. However, by the looks of things she has also left this to some 'Spider' fellow that we had never heard about before. At least, not Sebastian and I. Ciel on the other hand seems to know of it, but not about it in the slightest. It slightly troubles the three of us, but not to the point of paranoia or even phobia of the unknown.

"Having any issues, Sir Randall?" Ciel smiles out to the man looking over the fire stain on the wall and ground marking the place where the most recent victim died.

"Ciel Phantomhive!" The man exclaims in surprise, leaving the boy to show him an envelope with the Queen's mark on the wax that closes it.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about this case?" Ciel suggests.

"Well, there's not much to tell you about," Randall sighs out.

"What about the other cases? There were other ones like this one," Ciel presses.

"Ah, so those got to you too".

"Not until now," Ciel tricked the man, "I'll want to look at the records of these cases as well".

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Randall turns down. "The records of everything having to do with these cases, not even Scotland Yard can uncover them. Nor can you".

"Let's hope not. Phobia, Seba-," Ciel's taken by surprise at the sight of Sebastian admiring a mother cat and her litter of three kittens.

"Ahh, those large eyes knowing of nothing but innocence, and nothing of filth. Those tails that happily wave back and forth so nimbly. Those paws that are of an ever soft shade of pink!".

"Phobia, get him. We're leaving," Ciel mutters with a shake his head and a sigh as he bypasses the idiot butler.

"Come brother," I pick up the man of the same height as I, throwing him over my shoulder without a care, "Time to go".

"Ahh! I'm sorry Bocchan, the kittens were so cute I," Sebastian tries as he tries to wiggle his way off my shoulder. "Phobia, release me at once. I can walk from here. I have gathered myself again". Once in the carriage, which I threw him into, Sebastian and I sit next to one another next to Ciel. "What do you plan to do now?"

"Well, seeing as we cannot get Scotland Yard to help us, it looks like we'll have to go there," Ciel sighs out as we begin moving.

Next thing I know, I'm watching Sebastian tell a joke to the Undertaker who in turn causes things to shake and rattle as he bursts out laughing. "Who knew you could find someone with a sense of humor in this country?" The gray haired man grins out. This guy is obviously happy muttering to himself. "Now I'll show you what I promised to show you," he tells Ciel, wrapping an arm around him for a second before placing down a small square jar. Is it holding...Ashes?

"I told you I wanted to see the corpse of the victim," Ciel sighs out.

"Well, like I said, this is all that there was left of the happening. Burning at such a high temperature, it's obvious that only ashes would be left".

A few days later finds us at the funeral of the latest victim, a woman that was soon to be married to the man she loved. The would-of been groom stands amongst loved ones that support him with all they can at the moment. My brother, Master and I are in the back, the human of the three of us paying his respects personally to the dead woman.

"Bocchan," Sebastian states, looking in the direction of with a man dressed in black and a fat woman dressed in black and white and under a black umbrella walking behind him.

"Excuse us," the man speaks up, "I am Turner from the photo shop, I'm sorry to meet you in these sorrowful moments. However, we have finished the picture".

"She was this beautiful and yet," the woman speaks up, "We're so sorry". The groom-to-be tries to take the picture even though he's crying and his hands are shaking. However, said hands drop the picture and it breaks upon impact with the ground. "She really was beautiful". The two stay for the entire funeral, and when it's over they say their goodbyes before passing the three of us.

While Ciel seems to see something, as does Sebastian, I smell something. My eyes narrow and I take an extra whiff of the air around us. A metallic smell along with fire, it seems. Luckily, we're able to collect some of those particles that had come off the fat woman, and test them against the components in the ashes that the Undertaker had given to us. That night, I'm in Ciel's office, acting as a Guardian should, while Sebastian is off doing butler things.

There's a knock, "Excuse me," he enters and shows us a vial of what he had been testing. "We've finished testing the components from the ashes and what we got from the two at the shop. There is one that is the same in both: Iron magnesium. Such residue is given off when pictures are taken," he tells us. "I've also gotten product information from Lau. He had indeed been importing this type of magnesium, and almost all of it had been bought by this company".

"That much it too large a quantity for just taking photos," Ciel states smoothly.

"And the victims had too much in common. The women in these cases had both been newly wedded days before their photograph was taken in the...," Sebastian trails off.

"Turner's studio," I grunt out, as Ciel slides a clip into the butt of his gun. "Sebastian, Phobia, we're leaving. That couple knows the truth about these cases," the boy places his gun in his pocket and leads the way out of the room.

"Understood," we bow as one from our positions. Our arrival it seems is a bit on the late side, but not too much so as we easily catch sight of the one who had done it. The man's fat wife from earlier.

"Don't let her escape!" Ciel demands as we chase after her. But it seems, within her disillusion, she's planned ahead. As she skips along singing, she spreads the magnesium as she pleases, and then takes a picture of that area. The area explodes into fire, and she continues on her way. We discovered this first hand when she had turned and blown up a window before going on her merry way, leaving Sebastian to shield Ciel, and me to go further along after her. However, as we turn into an allyway, there's a call and a figure in red drops down on us. As I'm in the front, I'm forced to block the chainsaw, my glove getting ripped up but my skin being fine. That's an upside about being a Hell Hound; our fur and skin are both very strong.

"It's time for DEATH!" The man grins out as his chainsaw presses against my hand still.

"You...So you were the one pulling the strings behind all this, Grell!" Sebastian accuses from behind me.

"I have only drawn up a pretty red thread between Sebas-chan and myself, Phobi-chan!~" The red haired man coos as he and I push off one another and almost switch places. My heel slams into the top of his head. "Hey! What's with the rough treatment?!"

"You were asking for it, you attacked first," I sigh out, running a hand through my shaggy hair after retracting my claws. Darkness stitches together my glove.

"But I was just trying to hack apart the tension here!" He stands up for himself, holding his head still and pointing at me insistingly. "I was even chasing that pig and yet you!"

"You were chasing the woman?" Sebastian tilts his head.

"Is this freak someone you two know?" Ciel demands from behind Sebastian.

"He's someone who hunts souls; a Shinigami," I tell the boy.

"A Shinigami? Were there others like you around here?" Ciel questions the red head.

"He's come here for the souls that have died in the fire," Sebastian tells him now, "Am I correct?"

"Ahh, but now I've met up with you, Sebas-chan. Work is o~v~e~r~," the man gets into the demon's personal space, giving him a playful jab with each letter of the word 'over'. "And from here on out, you and I will have an adv~en~ture-," it seems he was going lean against my Tamer romantically. Was. Sebastian moved out of the way leaving him to face plant ever so gracefully. And so the red head just settles for trying to hug the butler, said butler easily dodging each and ever attempt.

"We don't have time to lose her, let's go!" Ciel leads the way, and I am first the follow the boy. Thus leaving Sebastian behind to deal with the clingy Grell. We end up near a clock tower, "Where did she go?" Ciel wonders to both himself and me.

My sharp eyes see the magnesium first, but then so do his, "Master, this way," I lead him into the tower. However, as we pass a window after climbing one set of multiple stairs, the window explodes. "Master!" I cry, and use my body as a shield against any and all fire and what not that tries to get to him. Luckily, it's nothing that would injure him even if I weren't here. I allow Ciel to lead the way up once more once I'm sure it's safe.

"Become happy! Become happy!" We come to the top floor at.

"This is the end, Margerete Turner," Ciel tells the woman.

"You've come to interupt my happiness? You can't! He told me so!" Who's 'he'? She holds up her camera, directly pointed at the two of us. She takes a picure and magnesium is spread. I move my body to shield Ciel's each and every time that she takes a picture and the air explodes. "What would you know about a man who you didn't like, who you married, who made you miserable?!" She demands. She backs us up into a pillar, my body crouched low and fingers splayed- but claws retracted- in front of the boy so that he has a clear shot but also someone to protect him. "I wanted a happy and romantic marriage! A nice man and a passionate love! I will burn everyone who stands in my way!"

It is here that Ciel is relaxed and laughing at her face. Something I can only imagine myself or Sebastian doing. The boy is learning. Still, I stand and relax, moving to the boy's side instead of in front of him "Ridiculous. If you're crying, fight against it! If you're regretting, walk forward! Only complaining on your own misfortune. You're nothing but a common pig!"

"Pig...A pig...A PIG!" The woman repeats, her hands shaking harshly as she holds the camera. "You called me a pig didn't you?!" As she screams out, the clock strikes twelve. Hmmm...We still have to capture her no matter what, Sebastian and I. The pig throws magnesium at us, and I pick up Ciel and move him behind the thin column we were against. "Anyone be they man or kid, if they call me pig I will burn them!" She declares proudly.

"What's taking you so long, Sebastian?" Ciel growls out as he removes his eye patch, "Come! Lest I let Phobia do the job for you!" Heh, what a cruel taunt. We both know he hates it when I play some sort of butler role behind is back. Such as giving the boy his food or drink, or fulfilling an order meant for him. The pig tries to take Grell and Sebastian down as they make their way up the side of the clock tower, Grell using his chainsaw and Sebastian running right behind him.

"Tch, damn. And I thought I was going to get some fun," I whine as I watch my brother put the woman in her place, kicking the camera out of her hand and into Grell's.

"Tell me everything you know," Ciel demands from my arms.

"You might as well as kill me!" The woman whimpers out, "That person told me, that if I did this beautiful men would fall in love with me". Pathetic.

"'That man?" Sebastian intones as I put Ciel down and fix my red button up's collar from under my suit, as well as my black tie.

"The man with the golden eyes! He told me!" However, she's cut off as she suddenly bursts into flames.

"What? Her soul is burning out too?! That's impossible!" Grell exclaims.

"Wait! You haven't told me anything!" Ciel lunges forward.

"Master!" Sebastian and I intone as one, but it is he who gathers him up. And it is I who pulls Grell out of his surprised state. He may not be able to be burned like that, but still. It's the thought that counts, right?

"I don't understand!" The Shinigami blubbers as he searches through a book of his, "How does a soul that I was supposed to collect burn out?! It must be here!" However, his attention is given to Sebastian as he gets closer to him than I like. "Well, I'll have to report this to Will so," he holds up the camera he had caught in his hands, "Let me keep this until then!" And then he goes off on his way after taking a picture.

"Bocchan," Sebastian speaks up, "You told me to capture that woman no matter what, but," he shows her a handful of ashes with magnesium in them.

"Turned to ashes, huh? Out of all her greed and turned insane. We will report to the Queen about this," Ciel tells him.

"Wanting to be loved," I sigh out, "What a human thing to go on a rampage for," I utter.

"It's laughable, isn't it?" Sebastian offers.

"That it is, brother," I chuckle just for effect.

"There's one thing that hasn't burnt out yet," Ciel steps in, putting his eye patch back on. "We still have to investigate Spider".

"Understood," Sebastian and I intone as one, he kneeling on his right knee, and I on my left, his right arm bend over his torso and my left doing the same. Our heads are bowed as our other arms are resting on the merely bent knees. Over all, we are opposites yet mirrors. Tamer and Tamed, brothers yet unrelated. A Crow and a Hound. Equal strength, but in different ways. Odd to get all sentimental, but I've been meaning to take a not of this all the same. Investigating should be fun.


	10. Chapter 10

"Have a nice trip Master!" Meirin smiles as we ready to board the train. Currently- obviously- we're standing in a train station, a place neither I nor Finny have been in before. The trains are much larger, length wise, than my wolven form, and almost as tall. It is red and made of metal and runs on coal, a foul smelling rock that makes foul smelling smoke.

"Trains are so cool!" Finny trounces around, arms wide and flailing as he goes. "I hope to go on one, one day!"

"Finny, stop fooling around!" Bard grunts out as he and Meirin handle some of Ciel's luggage. However, the boy doesn't heed the man's warning, and bumps into one of the station workers that's handling the end of a large wooden box. Finny falls, and in an attempt to stay up grabs the man's shoulder but ultimately pulls him down as well. The poor man's hand is pinched under the box as it falls. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Finny exclaims, moving forward to help the man.

"Are you alright?" Meirin also steps forward.

"Don't touch that!" Another man in blue, from within the train, stops the duo. "Do you know how valuable that thing is?"

"Please forgive them, lord," a priest who has apparently been here this whole time, draws a cross in prayer over his chest.

What we see is a, "Mummy?" Ciel intones.

"Yes, it seems that collecting ancient Egyptian artifacts is a new fad amongst the wealthy," Sebastian explains simply.

"Pick that up! And be careful!" The bossy man in blue demands. My eyes fall on the one who dropped the box and got his hand beaten up, wondering just how much shit he has to deal with.

Later on, once we're on the train and in our own private room area, Sebastian pours tea for our Master, sitting across from him. I on the other hand am in a laying down position- like a canine- despite my human form. Apparently, I'm not good with trains as they're so odd to my body; I'm not used to them.

"I hope the tea is to your liking, Bocchan," the black haired demon tells the Master as he pours said tea. "The Williamson & Magor Dairjeeling aroma comes from its freshly picked green leaves," however, Ciel isn't interested, his gaze fixed on the land that we pass by. "Bocchan, is it so painful to at least pretend that this journey is a fun one? The criminals will know. Make a more joyous face".

"I know," the boy sighs out blandly.

"Is the issue with the House of Trancy bothering you that much?" I ask him from my downed position.

"No. They definitely are hard to catch, but that's all that remains for now," the boy answers. "Right now Her Majesty takes precedence," he leans around me and ever so slightly moves the door's curtain to the side so that he can look into the hallway. "So that's Lord Ackroyd. His only son was kidnapped".

"Yes. 'If you tell them I have him as a hostage, I will kill him. You will board the train holding the ransom'. Those were the instructions from the culprit," Sebastian informs.

"The ransom is five thousand pounds, no?" I confirm.

"Five thousand pounds, or...," Ciel trails off.

"The price of his soul, is what you want to say," Sebastian finishes his words.

"The culprit should be aboard this train. I shall safely save the hostages an capture the kidnappers. That is the only way to qualm Her Majesty's sorrow," Ciel tells us calmly.

"Understood," I intone with my Tamer.

Not long after, we exit our private room with me right behind Ciel and Sebastian bringing up the rear. The people we come to see aren't what I would call 'commoners'. However, they're no where near a wealthy as my Master is.

"I was the one to discover the body of King of Sumenkukara," a man dressed in tan proudly declares to the woman at his side and the people across from him. Asleep in the Valley of Kings!" He laughs.

"Pride in grave robbing? Disgusting," Ciel mutters to himself.

"I have met that king when he was alive," Sebastian admits from behind me, "He was not of a very gentle virtue. Even if the corpse has been rotting for a long while, the face really does seem different".

"A fake? Could he be the criminal that...," Ciel mutters.

"I wouldn't go that far," I tell him.

"Oho!" A wide eyed man speaks loudly, his gray eyes wide and bloodshot, "The train left at 9:00 sharp from St. Pancreas Station. En route for Cambridge, it comes to a Bedford Crossing at 6:10 exactly! Oh! This thrill! I missed this!" He scrambles around in his seat whilst looking at a book the wrong way. That man...Is weird. "Train arrives at Derby Station at 5:01! Oho! This time lag has been fixed! At the railway station weather will be bad.

"Is he really just reading the time table?" Ciel raises a brow.

"It would seem he has a fixation on the railway," Sebastian informs. And we walk on. However, Ciel walks into a bag that had been in the walkway of all things.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" A Japanese older man growls out. He's wearing...A purple suit of all things. Not his color. I hold back the urge to growl back .

"You're Japanese aren't you?" Sebastian bows with a hand on his chest and a kind smile, "Furoshiki arabesque wrapping really is amazing," he goes to pick up the package but the old man stops him telling him not to touch it and that it's a family heirloom. However, Ciel seems to think that the man is hiding something.

"Please forgive that man," an elderly woman approaches us, "He's always being stubborn about something. Please, accept these," the woman offers us something with fruit and rice.

"No, that's quite alright," Sebastian turns down for us. The woman continues to try and share like the kind person she seems to be, however people keep on turning her down. Apparently cholera is running rampent in Asia at the moment. A wealthy man shoos her away like some street cat or dog.

"You take that back!" The old man stands up for his saddened wife.

"Please stop that. Don't you think it's quite rude to travelers that have come from far away," the Father we had seen from before speaks up.

"Shut up!" Another man tells him. And a small scuffle begins to occur. What's interesting, is the fact that during the scuffle the Father's one sleeve was pulled down just enough for the three of us to see something rather interesting. The man has a tattoo. Something I've never heard of in the first place.

"Everyone calm down!" A voice suddenly demands as the door on the other end of the car slams open. The voice belongs to a russet haired man whom is wearing a tan colored hat and trench coat, and if I look at his bowed head he has a mustache- your typical French person style. "Cool down! And sit down!" He dramatically walks his way closer to us, spinning his way to stand in front of us ant take off his hat. "It's no wonder you're all so excited. Certainly, to ride a train when there is a murderer in the convoy. However, under the watchful eyes of the police that guard him, he can't move a single muscle". He doesn't get to finish his flashy entrance as the people before him begin to panic. Pushing him over and trampling him in an attempt to get as far away from the murderer as possible. I pick up Ciel and move into an empty spot as the people rush by, protecting him casually until everyone but the four of us are left. "Huh? Oh!" The man beams to us as I put Ciel down. "There you are Earl Phantomhive!" Like the klutz he appears to be , he falls on his face. However, once he's up, we head on to the eating car that I don't bother to call by its actual name. "The eel pie makes you feel nostalgic, doesn't it?" The man questions. "It brings the taste of traditional homemade British cuisine. It was pretty wild back there, huh?"

"And who's fault is that?" Ciel sighs out. "Besides, I think Chief Randall will fuss at you for having dinner with me".

"No no, I'm deepening my friendship with you," the man tells the boy. "I've heard so many stories about you from my twin brother".

"Twin eh?" I tilt my head his way curiously.

"Yea...I wish I could have eaten these with him," the man sighs out casually.

"We should get going, Bocchan," Sebastian speaks up as he finishes eying the man I had long since sniffed out.

"Wait! Ciel if you don't eat enough, your stomach will-" the man begins to choke. He had after all been talking with a full mouth. Idiot.

"There sure as hell are a lot of suspicious people here," I casually state as I bring up the rear of Ciel, Sebastian and then finally myself. "A gruff Japanese man, a Priest with a tattoo, a fake archeologist, and that weird guy with the time table.

"Suspicious indeed," Sebastian agrees.

"Excuse me," a man dressed in brown passes us. However, it turns out that he's the man that had dropped the fake mummy, and indeed he trns out to be the kidnapper. Why wouldn't he be with how odd he's acting? We give chase. However, the last car is separated from the train by the blonde at the last moment.

"Don't let him get away you two! Go!" Ciel demands of his butler, and I stay at my Master's side. "Let's go, Phobia," he demands with a turn of his body and a dash of his feet.

"Right behind you Master," I grin out and run after him after he has enough of a lead. We end up passing the nameless russet haired man's form, and for some odd reason he follows after us.

"Ciel, where are you going off to in such a rush?" He questions from behind me.

"The end car has been detached from the rest of the train," Ciel states, "A kidnapper is there demanding a ransom".

"Wh-What? The last car was detached?" The officer falls on his face not long after we've made it into a car with people- people that had been in that argument from before.

"It's just as my Master has said," I tell him. "The kidnapper is back with Sebastian, and Master and I are off to find the hostage which is most likely in something disguised".

"Something just big enough to hold a single child. Such as that mummy case," Ciel states, upsetting the archeologist. However, that doesn't last long as the russet haired man begins to cry about his stomach hurting. Apparently, it could be cholera- the Asian woman has it as well it seems. We have no time to waste however as Ciel and I leave the others to fret over such nonsense.

We come to a car that's walls are filled with masks of all sorts, and has no lights. However, the lack of light doesn't bother me at all. We come to the box we know to hold the 'mummy', and with a simple pull from Ciel the lid comes off. The lid of the mummy's casing is then opened to show a small blonde boy. A mumbled 'help me' comes from him.

However, things are halted for a second as I turn around and let my palm meet the point of a knife. This point crumples under the touch of my hard skin, and I smirk. "And who might you be?"

"What does that matter?" The man grunts, and lunges at me again. However, I don't plan on letting him harm myself- not that he could- nor my Master. I swing around his form, grabbing his striking arm and twisting it painfully behind his back.

"Master," I call to Ciel, who looks over his shoulder to look at me. He sighs.

"What?"

"Can I kill him?" I grin out, fangs gleaming.

"...He's a criminal...Go ahead," Ciel states. "Just not while I'm looking or around. Do it somewhere else".

"As you wish," I tell him, and drag the man with me to the back of the car.

"Let me go damn it!" The criminal fights back ever so harshly.

"Sorry, Master said I could kill you; so I will," I grin out over my shoulder. I'm not really sorry, of course.

"What's he paying you? I can double- no, quadruple it in no time!" The man tells me.

"He's not paying me anything. I'm doing all this nonsense of my own accord," I tell him and throw him towards the wall of the train. His body thuds against the metal with a dull thunk and he looks from side to side to see if there's anywhere for him to go to get away from me. "No where to go," I taunt as I had picked a closed off space thanks to multiple boxes and luggage.

"Stay away!" He lashes out with a foot.

"How fun it is to see a supposedly hardened criminal can turn into something low as a common victim within moments. Is there another way you'd like to try to come at me from?" The man whimpers as I come close enough to him to touches noses. He's a bit shorter than I, so I have to bend down a bit. "I've never had a human soul before- well, I have, just not in a long time- but I wanna kill you and I can't leave behind any evidence. So," I trail off for a moment before placing my hands on each side of his face. As it looks like I'm about to kiss him, I jerk his head up and to the side, my jaws clamping onto his neck but not making an imprint nor even placing spit there. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes, searching for the man's soul. I can't really say what a soul feels like, because it doesn't have a feeling. Just a taste and a smell. It doesn't have a sound either. Still just a taste and a smell. However, I'll say that souls are extremely easy to find the more appealing to you they are. This man's is very appealing to me; I've always had a thing for eating tainted souls so to speak. I've only had a couple handfuls of souls in my long life but no matter. A minute or two later, and I let the body slump to the floor and return to Ciel. I smell Sebastian near by. "What're you doing here?"

"I came looking for you two. Phobia. I need your help," the demon tells me.

"With what exactly?" I tilt my head like the innocent pup I am.

"According to the kidnapper that I've taken care of, there are bombs on this train that will go off should it stop. When I got here from that place, I had saw that this train would be stopping soon, so I managed to change the direction. However, I had accidentally changed it to one that will ultimately kill everyone on this train via broken bridge if we do not stop the train. However the bombs are still a factor. What I need you to do, is on my signal stop the train after I take care of the bombs. Do you think you can do that?"

"What am I, a joke to you?" I sigh and lick the lips of soul off said lips. "I'll be able to stop this train no problem," I assure.

"Good. Bocchan, Phobia, please follow me," Sebastian smiles out before turning and exiting the car. However he doesn't move to another one. Instead, he leads the way to the roof and leads the way along the top of the train until we stop a few cars away from the front. He crouches and gets a good grip onto the roof of the car before slowly yet surely ripping it off like some sort of can lid. He shifts the metal around in his hands until finally with a throw the roof is gone with an explosion.

"The guests would have noticed that," Ciel sighs out.

"Worry not. That was the catering car," Sebastian assures the boy.

"My turn," I grin out and jump my way off the train and rush forward. Once a good distance in front of it, I place my hands into my pockets and lift up a single foot. Said foot smashes into the front of the train, and my body is sent in a sliding direction through the wood of the rail. However, after more of digging my heel in, I manage to stop it with pleanty of room to spare.

"Well done Phobia, Sebastian," Ciel announces from next to the latter demon on top of the train.

"I try," I grin and playfully salute.

It's after this that the people begin to get off the train in fits of glee and splendor. Some people hug, others dance in place, and there are those who just simply smile at the feeling of not being dead. After all, it's not everyday that your life is threatened by the possibility of a train crashing over a broken bridge and falling into a small canyon. Ciel is off doing something, however I know that he's not that far away.

"This table cloth was stained during your little 'savior montage'," a dull voice speaks up from behind us. Sebastian and I turn as one to look and see just who is talking. He also looks to be a butler of a wealthy family, his coat and pants neatly pressed as should be. His golden orbs are cold and uncaring. His hair is about as long as Sebastian's but it has a bit more of a wild appearance to it. He's also wearing glasses. On his head is a top hat. He holds to us an envelope that's sealed.

"What's that?" I ask him.

"I will give you information about my Master; you want to complete Ciel's failed revenge, don't you?" The stranger states, handing Sebastian the paper. Sebastian doesn't say anything in return however, as he obviously feels threatened. Still there's a nod of thanks from him before we turn and go on our way.


	11. Chapter 11

FLASHBACK

As basically usual, the night is cool enough for our breath to show as we breathe out hot air from our lungs. We're back in London of course, and even though the clock tower is ringing out the time, the night is still young and lively. It's a rather beautiful sight, really, the sky above.

"Where is it, Phobia?" Sebastian questions me as I lead the way through the city.

"Not far now, brother," I tell him as I take a sample of the air. What is 'it'? 'It' is Soma's and Agni's curry bread stand that they often set up for those who can't very often afford to buy a hot meal. Ah, there it is.

"Sebastian, Phobia," Agni speaks up first with a surprised look on his face.

"Good evening Agni, Soma," Sebastian speaks up as I nod in greeting. "I have some rather unfortunate news that you should know about. Bocchan has lost his memory; he has amnesia".

Soma seems to be the most surprised out of the two as he walks forwards and accidentally knocks over the curry bread that had already been made. "W-What? Ciel's lost his memory? How?"

"Hard to say to be honest," I tell him with a sigh, "A few months ago we were quite busy; I think he might have fallen and hit his head when neither Sebastian or I were around".

"He's lost his memory of ever meeting either of you," Sebastian goes on, "I thought to come and inform you so that if you were to visit, you would not frighten him. If you were to greet him as though you knew him well, he would become suspicious. On that note, please refrain from visiting him so that he doesn't suffer".

"B-But!-" Soma tries.

"I know it's hard," I sigh out and run a hand through my red hair, "But it's for the best. We've told everyone else the same. Our servants are probably having it the hardest seeing as they spent so much time with or near him at the very least. Lady Elizabeth, his fiancee, was also heart broken".

"...If we have to...We'll put on the best act you guys have ever seen," Soma vows, nodding along with Agni.

FLASHBACK END

"Alois Trancy," Ciel ponders as Sebastian and I sit across from him in the carriage. "You said the late Earl Trancy died three years ago, right?"

"That's right," Sebastian confirms.

"Three years ago...," he ponders for a second, seeming to be remembering something and I have a good idea of just what. "Alois was kidnapped as a child and then returned shortly before his father's death. He came with a strange butler, no?"

"That's also correct," I sigh out. "Sounds rather familiar, no?"

"It's not uncommon," Ciel sighs out. From that point on, things are silent and calm. Upon arrival to the host's home, Sebastian and I get out before Ciel, and then we flank each of his sides as we head on to the door. When Sebastian attempt to knock, the door is opened already and there's a butler at the door. The very same butler that had approached Sebastian and I the other day.

"You must be Earl Phantomhive; we have been expecting you. I am the butler, Claude Faustus. Please, come in". This man smells of spiders and greed. We make our way in, however Sebastian stops to look up at the spider within the doorway on the outside. "Ahh yes, spiders help make up the family crest. So we are careful not to kill them".

"Ah yes, because no matter how much you try to brush them off they just seem to cling on," Sebastian smiles to his fellow demonic butler.

"I hate spiders. They're greedy bastards," I sigh out, "About as trusted as a snake". I can see the glare in Claude's eyes. One point Phobia, zero for Claude.

"I have prepared some tea for you in the drawing room. You can join everyone else there," everyone?

"Can my butler and guardian come with me?" Ciel questions.

"But of course," we move forward to go in the direction of where we assume to be the drawing room. "Ahh, please forgive me but my Master is out on business. He will be back in time for the evening however. Please let me lead you to the drawing room now".

Those who greet us are not strangers in the slightest. "Ciel!" A pink clad girl grins as she glomps her fiancee.

"Elizabeth?" Ciel questions in surprise.

"Ohhh call me Lizzy!" The girl demands.

"So you're finally here, Young Earl? You're late," a cheery voice speaks up. This voice in particular belongs to the ever close eyed Lau.

"What's Madam Red? I figured that this would be her kind of thing," Ciel mutters out as he takes a few steps forward.

"Oh? You didn't know? Madam Red-" luckily or unluckily, Soma himself appears to keep Lau from saying anything about Madam Red.

"Ciel! Ciel!" Soma lunges to Ciel to hug him. However, Ciel doesn't remember the older boy so I have to play the right roll. My eyes narrow and my hand swiftly wraps around the Prince's neck, tears dripping onto my glove.

"Refrain from touching my Master when you are nothing but a stranger," I tell him sternly.

"Prince Soma!" Agni shouts in alarm, and readies to unbind his right hand. However, I meet his gaze meaningfully.

"Your Prince is in no harm. I just want him away from my Master," I tell the white haired man.

"Please forgive him," Agni bows, falling into the game of pretend like he should. "The boy that your guard here has is the 26th prince of Belgium, Prince Soma. He's a rather large fan of yours as you are the head of Funtom, whose toys are rather rare where we came from".

"Ciel! Ciel! Please, don't tell me that you-" Soma whimpers out. Shut up you idiot.

"Please don't mind him. It's just that he's reminded of a very good friend at the moment," it's at this point that I release the tan young man in favor of letting him be handled by Agni. "And of when...," why is Agni getting all teary? Ugh. "Oh Prince Soma!" And cue the sob fest.

"Why don't we get Master ready for the ball?" I question with a tilt of my head, and Sebastian agrees.

"Shall we then, Bocchan?"

From then on, we're lead to Ciel's room by triplet males, each with purple hair and the same outfit. Even their strides are all the perfectly same length. It's like they're clones of one another. I watch as Ciel seems to be distracted by something, and his scent seems to change for a moment or two. However, it goes back to normal moments later, leaving it to seem like nothing happened. My eyes narrow as they look over my young Master and I sigh. Looks like I won't be joining in on the fun. Not really at least.

As the ball comes along, Ciel's decided to dress as an English sailor, fluffy feathered hat and all. Sebastian is off investigating the building, missing out on all the 'fun' that'll be going down within due time. Lady Elizabeth is dressed like a Native American from North America. Me? I'm Vlad Treps also known as Count Dracula. My body is dressed in black full body armor while my hair is long and wavy. I have a goatee and mustache combo while a black cape with a red underside is attached to my shoulders. At my hip is a sword, and on my hands are claw light gauntlets. Dressing like this allows me to more freely show my fangs off. The armor is on the heavier side, but that's fine as it's real armor and it's not really a real issue for me.

"Oh, excuse me," a blonde girl in a maid's outfit speaks up as she accidentally bumps into Ciel. My eyes narrow. This 'maid' smells male for one thing, and two he smells slightly of spiders and greed and trickery.

"It's fine," Ciel assures.

"No no, if I don't get that out now, it'll stain," the boy smiles out, "Come with me," and so she leads Ciel away from me. I can't follow him directly as that would be weird. So, with a quick glance around to make sure that no one is looking, I sink into my own shadow and then after making my way to him, latch not Ciel's. Now I am part of his shadow and all I have to do is go along for the ride. The 'maid' hums a gentle song as 'she' dabs at the coat of the costume for a good amount of time. "There, all done," 'she' stands up and shows him the now ruined coat as Ciel stands to his feet and looks it over.

"Who are you really?" Ciel demands with narrowed eyes.

"Such a beautiful blue ring," 'she' coos as she randomly takes a hold of Ciel's hand and takes a look at the Phantomhive ring. 'She' then looks to the boy's eyes. "They're the same blue. How beautiful," 'she' giggles.

"What do you want?"

"If I can become one with you, then could my soul become as blue as yours?" 'Her' hands come to Ciel's face and trail to the back of his head up until she has his eye patch.

From there, she takes off. Ciel of course gives chase, but he looses her. However, he begins to stumble around like some sort of drunk, apparently seeing something, "Sebastian? Phobia?" Just why is he seeing myself and Sebastian make our way to the basement. He was a sleep at that time; I don't understand how he's seeing whatever he's seeing. I can't hear anything he's hearing, nor can I see what he sees. However, whatever he does see, messes with him enough to cause him to double over and throw up a bit after knocking some boxes over in an attempt to stay standing. After that, he wipes his mouth and scrambles to his feet before darting down hallway after hallway until he's out a pair of doors and to the woods.

"What happened?" The 'maid' questions, "Are you hurt? I can lick your wounds and take the pain away," The 'maid' licks 'her' lips.

"Cut the crap...Alois Trancy!" Ciel pants out glaringly at the blonde.

"Oh?" The boy mocks, "You figured it out huh? How annoying," he rips off his wig and throws it to the ground.

"I figured you'd come to me if I was alone," Ciel smirks out.

"So you followed me on your own on purpose? But...," Alois looks to his right, and from behind the tree next to him Claude comes to his side. He looks to his left and the triplets come along from the trees.

"Don't underestimate me," Ciel smirks out. From behind the tree behind him, a figure in black comes out.

"Bocchan is right," Sebastian smiles out.

"It's best not to underestimate him," I sigh out, pulling myself out of Ciel's shadow as though it were a pool of water. However, I'm not dripping wet or anything. I send the lot a smirk.

"I thought I warned you, Mr. Claude," Sebastian now frowns at our fellow demon.

"Well, I just wanted to talk in a quiet place," Alois lies.

"You threw a costume ball and dressed like that just for me. What do you want?" Ciel demands.

"I want you".

"What exactly does that mean?" Ciel demands a second time.

"I want you," Alois smiles, "That's all there is to it. If you refuse, I'll kill everyone in that building. I've set up some entertainment, and then they'll be dead. Including your precious friends. What will you do?"

"Do as you please," Ciel smirks out. This obviously shocks the blonde. "I also have a question for you".

"Go ahead, I can tell you anything," Alois assures. "If you prostrate yourself before me and wag your tail," the boy pops his ass at us as though prostrating as mentioned.

"I wonder who will be wagging their tail when this is over?" Ciel mocks.

"I like your boldness. But don't be so cocky because your butler is a little skilled," am I chopped liver or something? "My Claude here is much better!" He shows us his tongue, which has a Faustasian contract on it.

"So you have one too. Sebastian you know what to do. As per the contract, you will work for me. You will not kill me, and you will protect me until my ambition is completed," Ciel speaks to his contract giver.

"Yes. Ever since that day I have been your loyal slave. If you order it, I will grant all your wishes. I will until the contract is over, and it is time for me to take your soul," Sebastian smiles out.

"Claude, catch Ciel," Alois demands.

"This is an order: Sebastian, protect me at all costs". Ciel gives his own command.

"Yes, your Highness," Claude practically hisses out.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian states his own thing. "Phobia, you will be taking on the triplets".

"As you wish, Tamer," I grin and crouch down into a fighting stance. I pull the gloves off- my armor long since replaced by my usual attire- and allow my claws to extend to their full length.

"What? Two demons?" Alois' eyes are wide. "That's not possible".

"My loyalty is to my Tamer," I tell the boy. "If your butler is so great, why hasn't he tamed a Syn Hell Hound like Ciel's butler has?"

"Hell Hound?" Claude sighs out. "I have no need for wolves".

"You're interesting," Alois grins out, "Vicious looking. When Claude beats that butler, he'll tame you next".

"My loyalty is to my Tamer; I'll only ever have one," I snarl, bearing my fangs.

"Attack Combination! Gathering of Hell's Leaves!" The spider butler demands of the triplets, and I ready myself.

"Sorry," I smirk to their determined faces, "I don't plan on letting you try to hurt me in the slightest; you're going down right away. They circle me a few times until the one with the ladder leaps into the air to try and come down upon me with said supposed weapon. As he does that, his brothers rush at me with their own respective weapons. And while the ladder lands as it should, the brothers stand no chance. A hand reaches up and clashes with the blade, stopping it in its tracks as my hard skin easily holds its own. Eyes widen in surprise as I then wrap my claw covered hands around the weapon and toss it swiftly over my shoulder before striking out with a slash in the direction of the one who tried to cut me. At the same time, the other hand easily breaks the ladder and a foot lashes out at the third brother. The end result is one brother with a set of scratches along his chest, and two brothers knocked out. "Too easy," I chuckle out.

"That Hell Hound is so cool!" Alois coos. "I want him as my guardian instead of Ciel's! Claude, after you're doing taking care of Sebastian, tame Phobia!".

It is at this point that Sebastian and I make our escape to a place a little bit away from our enemies. However, when we're stopped an odd sound rings through the air.

"Hmmm, I haven't heard this sound in at least a century," Sebastian mutters.

"What is it?" Ciel demands as Sebastian covers the boy's ears for him.

I sigh and clean out one of my ears. "It's not very harsh against a demon's ears, is it?" And from there, we head out. However, the running seems a bit harsh for Ciel. "Shall I take him while you go ahead?"

"You'll be able to hold yourself against Claude if he comes for Bocchan?" Sebastian questions as for a second time we stop.

"You know he's not coming. Besides, I can easily take that guy on. You know that," I grin to him.

"Protect Ciel with your life," Sebastian demands.

"As you wish, Tamer," I casually bow before taking the boy into my arms and letting Sebastian jump off at a much faster pace while I take it nice and easy. "How are you feeling, Master," I look down to him.

"The sound really hurts my ears. What is it coming from?" Ciel clings onto my shoulders as he fights the headache I'm sure the music is giving him.

"It's called an armonica, an instrument that was popular in the 18th century and compared to the voice of an angel's," I tell him. "But it became better known as a 'devil's instrument because it confused the hearts of those charmed by the music it made". Though a grin spreads across my face as soon, the music becomes much more soothing, calming and even beautiful. "And now Sebastian is turning that song into something much more gentle. There are no words to the song he's turning it into, however it's beautiful no?"

"Can you play any instruments like him?" Ciel questions as we make our way into his room via window and I look around for a new jacket seeing as I'm not one for cleaning out stains.

"I can't play as any as he, no. However I can sing, and play a decent number of instruments," I tell him.

"Sing?" Ciel raises a brow as I help him put the replacement coat on.

"Yes. It's natural for a Hell Hound to be able to sing- at least in my pack, the Syn. Unlike most Hell Hounds that have dog like demon forms and personalities, we Syns are wolven through and through. Singing in our human forms is like howling in our demon ones," I explain to him simply as I easily make it through the hallways and back to the ball. By the time we make it there, the song is over.

"Heh," Ciel sighs out, "That was overly flamboyant".

With my control over darkness having created my costume again, I casually stand at Ciel' side, and look to Sebastian, "An armonica, right?"

"You are correct," Sebastian nods once.

"So what was that chaos in the first place?" Soma demands.

"Mere entertainment," Alois speaks up from one side of the room. He is dressed in an all purple suit with black fur on the shoulders almost as a second collar. There's a small lopsided hat on his head and a graceful smile spread across his pale face. "Forgive me for being late everyone; I am Alois Trancy. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance".

"Oh? So that's him," one random voice speaks up.

"He's still so young," another notes.

Alois and Claude come to greet us, and we they, as nothing ever happened, "That was a wonderful performance; you have some great musical talent," Alois compliments Sebastian with a smile.

"I have no right to be praised; I am a hell of a butler after all," Sebastian smiles out.

"You have a wonderful butler, Earl Phantomhive," damn, this boy is good at playing 'goodie goodie' so to speak.

"He's just a butler," Ciel mutters.

"Oh? And who is this man, dressed as the infamous Vlad Trepes?" The blonde's attention comes to me.

Playing the part just as my Tamer does, I smile and place a closed glauntleted fist over my heart, "I am nothing but a guardian of my Master's," I tell him. "It's an honor to meet you, Earl Trancy".

"A guardian as well? You're a lucky person, Earl," Alois coos.

"He's just a guardian," Ciel mutters in the same tone from before.

"Bocchan, Phobia and I would like to talk to Mr. Claude alone for a little bit. Is that okay?" Sebastian speaks up with a smile to our Master.

"Why don't you go, Claude?" However, in a lower voice he tells his butler, "You have ten minutes. If you can't get the job done by then I'll punish you".

"Yes, your Highness," Claude tells his Master with calculating eyes.

"Hurry up and get this over with," Ciel demands, "Both of you".

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian tells the boy.

"As you wish, Master," I state with a smirk. The three of us turn to leave the room, and as soon as we're out of sight the darkness takes my armor away from me again, changing my hair back to normal and giving me back my usual attire. We walk until we're outside, and then we walk some more in silence. Where we arrive is a large pond with a narrow dock. Sebastian and I stand next to one another while Claude stands at the edge of the dock. Above us is a welcoming full moon that begs for me to sing to it.

"You're quite persistant on taking our Master," Sebastian sneers out.

"It's my Master's orders. 'Steal Ciel Phantomhive from Sebastian Michaelis'," Claude defends himself.

"He's our Bocchan," I growl out, hands balled into loose fists.

"The way it felt," Claude mutters just loud enough for us to hear, "It's rare to come upon such fine materials".

"The thought that someone other than myself or my Tamed has touched our Bocchan makes me sick," Sebastian states seriously, eyes narrowed. "You sullied it with your disgusting white spider threads. Boccha's soul".

That's what exactly happened. Just as Sebastian was about to be rewarded for all his damn hard work, a bell had tolled, and my howling had stopped on that night. Our Master became hollow, his soul stolen right from under both our noses by a fucking spider of all things. This pissed off Sebastian to no end, as he had let his power lash out as pleased. I protected Ciel's body even as Sebastian was carrying it off his island. And when Sebastian was off the island, I let my own power go. At that moment on par with Sebastian's own, darkness had whipped around me like a massive tornado, and created destruction in its wake. That is until I settled down. It was then that I vowed to never hide how strong I am ever again. I'm as strong as my Tamer- the only reason he tamed me is because I held back and didn't know what was going on; it was the weirdest taming I'd ever seen/felt. Or perhaps it is that I am stronger and bored? Wouldn't you like to know? None the less I was pissed as he. From that day on, we set out to fix our Master.

However, he won't ever be our beloved Master again. Not until his soul is completed and not until he's had is revenge. As the battle wages, with little water twisters being kicked up this way and that by the two demons, I lay in my Hell Hound form without a care, my tails either waving around lazily or lightly dipped into the water. Why? Because there's nothing else for me to do. That's why.

"I see," Claude speaks up as the two stand from the water once it's been settled down, "You want a soul that's had revenge. You have a profound will. And yet I sense a connection to that soul; from both you and your Tamed over there".

"Of course, we are demons after all. You have a Master as well, don't you?" Sebastian throws back despite the fact that he's got a hand around his neck. Claude's fingers dance over Sebastian's chest and my upper lip raises to show deadly teeth. Don't touch my Master like that you fucker.

"Raising a soul so that we may devour them; that's how we demons thrive," Claude mutters. Well, he's almost right. I don't have to raise a soul to eat it...Probably because of my past. "But to want to give a soul a who has lost its memories a second revenge, humans don't have such an urge. My Master is also one of the rare souls that this is worth doing this for".

"Our Master is different from any human you've seen thus far," Sebastian tells him before flipping out of the hold and behind him, holding three knives to Claude's throat. "As for the second revenge, yes I do plan on helping him attain such a revenge for a second time. My Tamed will be at my side as well". His eyes flash to my own crimson ones and I flick an ear in acknowledgment. "However, we're missing a crucial piece. Someone to take revenge on. You said earlier that your Master ordered you to steal back our Bocchan".

"He said that I should, 'give you a pain far worse than death'," Claude states, "A Ciel Phantomhive who does not recall revenge is useless," it is here that Sebastian lets Claude move as he pleases, pulling the knives away from his throat. "I must steal a fully realized Ciel Phantomhive to complete my mission".

"Shall we make a deal?" Sebastian offers as the other demon puts on and fixes his glasses. His eyes turn to me, "Phobia, come".

I tilt my head before darkness that dances like fire washes over me before my normally black and red clad form easily walks on the water- if someone were to see they'd think I were some fucked up Jesus. Still, once I'm close enough I step into the water so that I'm standing in the water like the other two. "A deal huh?" I tilt my head. "I'm for it if you are, brother".

"Brother?" Claude raises an interested brow.

"That's what our bond between Tamer and Tamed has made us feel as to one another. Brothers. He the older and I the younger," I tell him with a smirk.

"I see," it is from there that we leave, all of us completely dry. Within seconds we are in a small room, Sebastian sitting directly to my right and Claude across from us. In front of my Tamer and I is a white rose, the same goes with Claude. While those two pull off their gloves, mine simply sinks into the shadow made by the jacket of my suit. While their hands show black nails and their Faustasian contracts, my hand shows nothing but my bone claws that run over the bones of my hands over the skin and sprouting from the back of my wrist in all their black and red glory. I only let one claw extend, and I curl a finger to deeply prick my wrist as needed. Sebastian bites his own wrist, and with a knife Claude cuts his. Those two are the first to drip their blood onto the single white roses in front of us. And then I drip my blood onto the same rose that Sebastian did. This turns our rose a deeper red but nothing else. Like any other demon's eyes, ours glow a vibrant ever moving around and glowing magenta.

"You will become targets of our Master's revenge," Sebastian and I intone as one.

"I will take Ciel Phantomhive once his revenge has been completed," Claude counters, picking up his normal red blood drenched rose to us, while Sebastian throws our darker red rose to him. He drips his blood onto our rose, and we do the same to his. "The deal...,"

"Is sealed," I intone with my brother. While those two lick their wounds closed, my own as well as the unused blood of mine makes its way back into my body, the wound closing of its own accord and not leaving a mark of course. After that, we return to our masters' sides.

"What does this mean?" Ciel demands as he sees the dark purple-black rose in the pocket of Sebastian's jacket. Claude is wearing the other rose the same way.

"As per your order, We've finished it quickly," Sebastian states, offering the boy a small bundle of papers.

"What is this?" Ciel looks over the packet, flipping paper over after paper. "They were investigating me...? Even my father...So they really are," yes Ciel, they really are your enemy. I glare in the direction of our enemy. I won't let them take Ciel from my Tamer, who had worked so hard to raise the soul that he so wished to devour. I'll die before Claude gets Ciel. I like the boy, and he's already agreed to give Sebastian his soul. There's no change ups; that's not how it works.


	12. Chapter 12

A few days later, Ciel got a letter from Alois apologizing for the rudeness he had shown Ciel during the last ball, and invited him to another one a day from today that being tomorrow. Over the few days we had already investigated on just who and what the Trancy household was. And we found out the truth that we were looking for. The Trancy household is the other one known to be home of another family of 'Evil Nobles' that work in the underworld for the Queen. The Phantomhives destroy those in the darkness like the dogs they are, and the Trancys trap those worth in the darkness like any good spider should.

However, a rumor was spread about the last Phantomhive being possessed by demons- referring to myself and my brother- and used the combustion case as a back up to prove this. Even before that, the Phantomhives were accused of being unclean, and thus the Trancys did a purge of the household under the cover up of an exorcism. Over our days of investigation, we found one of the men that had been hired to burn down the Phantomhive home, and Ciel took his life as part of his revenge full of cold blood. Today, Ciel has decided that we will use the ball as a show down, a death match like no other. This'll be exciting.

However, upon arrival I can't believe I'm saying this but I couldn't believe my eyes. Not because of how grand the place is, as it's smaller than the Phantomhive estate. But rather because they have one extra person. He is a Hell Hound just like myself. I can smell it as clear as day. His hair is a dark red, almost maroon I want to say. His eyes are brown, almost black, and seem to have lighter brown rings within the iris. In his mouth hangs a cigarette, lit and letting smoke into the air. His dress code is something casual, with a black and red pinstripe button up shirt under a red vest, the shirt's first two buttons undone to show his chest. His pants are simple black slacks, and his shoes are black as well. He grins to me, showing a set of long fangs. He steps forward to offer me a hand showing black nails that all demons have on their hands. While Claude and Alois greet their personal opposites, I meet my own it seems. "Nice to meet you, My name is Envy, Envy Bless. You must be Phobia Syn," his voice is that of a smooth medium tenor, and he's about six foot even it seems.

"That would be me," I smile out, showing him my own fangs and offering a gloved hand.

"Oh! I see your guardian has met mine. Ciel, Sebastian, this is Envy Bless. Claude tamed him the day after the last ball. Isn't it wonderful?" Alois tells my Master and own Tamed. "Come, I want to show you something". What he shows us is a giant chess board, completed with each piece needed to play. "I figured that this would do as our duel's field. But, how about our butlers and guardians duke it out instead of us? The loser has to do whatever the winner says unconditionally".

"It seems that they were planning for a death-match as well," Sebastian mutters to the two of us.

"That Hell Hound is going down," I grunt out, arms crossed over my chest. Envy is not part of the deal; he's a wild card and I don't like it one bit. Damn you Claude. How did another Hell Hound show up anyways?

"This seems to be a ball to our tastes," Ciel smiles out with a closed eye, "Far better than dressing up in extravagant and unneeded clothing at least. A clock tower on the Trancy grounds chimes long and loud three times, and Sebastian and I kneel before our Master. He rips off his eye patch. "This is an order: Sebastian, Phobia, win at all cost and bring Trancy here. I will give him a quietest by my own hand".

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian stands to his feet, and he looks down to me, his eyes still glowing with the order he had been given.

"As you wish, Master," I do not get up however. Instead, I shift to my other knee to bow to my Tamer.

"Phobia, you will assist me in winning this game for my Lord. Understood?"

"As you command, Tamer," I nod firmly before standing, my own orbs blowing that signature magenta, blood lust clear in my orbs. We get onto the chess board easily, taking the white side of the board while they take the black side. I tilt my head at the sight of four extra players, but pay it no mind. We will still win after all. And so the game begins...Or not...

"Oh my my my my! What a wonderful ball this is! I Viscount Druitt, am honored to be invited to such a grand ball!" Ahh that idiot blond again? Why is he wearing a blue shrimp on his head?

"Honored guest, what brings you here today?" Claude, the ever good butler, and the triplets that I never bothered to learn the names of bow to the idiot blond.

"I have come here to attend the costume ball of course!" Idiot blonde smiles out.

"Sir, that ball was last week. We have invited Earl Ciel Phantomhive to a private ball today," Claude politely corrects.

"What? No! What a disgrace, I mistook the date!" The man slouches as he walks away, "Why didn't anyone tell me?" However, for whatever reason- apparently because he's been entranced by the dangerous sounding ball theme- he's decided to stay and watch the duel. Idiot.

The lower servants draw their weapons, the maid with two swords it seems, a triplet with a dagger, another with a spear and the last with a cross bow. "Assault! Allicance! The bloodstained laundry basket!" Claude demands and the triplets head for Sebastian and I in a straight line. Who the hell comes up with these assault names? Seriously? Envy and Claude and Merry stay behind. However, the former most of the three makes a fist out of each hand. From the backs of his hands appear three blade claws it seems, each as long as his fingers.

Sebastian merely has his knives which will do. I in the mean time sigh and take off my gloves, tossing them over my shoulders before extending my claws to as long as they can go. I casually itch an itch on my cheek, showing them to my fellow Hell Hound and I love the look of surprise on his face. Wasn't expecting that, now was he? The triplets come at us as they had done last week to me. However, with simple and perfectly timed strikes from us, their weapons are deemed useless.

"Assault! Alliance! The bloodstained laundry basket to the cursed three sided mirror!" Claude demands. When did they get spears? The trio comes at us again, however again their tools are made useless with a few well placed strikes by hands and claws.

"Is it me, or is this getting redundant?" I question my Tamer, and he merely smiles lightly. However, I'm surprised as they change it up, and they attach their broken pieces together to make one large spear. I sigh. "They get along rather well, don't they brother?"

"It's what brothers do," Sebastian chuckles out. The trio's eyes flash pink, showing us that they are indeed demons- which isn't at all that surprising- and leap into the air before coming down on us. While Sebastian is doing his little dance with the spear that he's just stolen, I'm making sure that they're lined up as need be, jabbing at them this way and that but not too much so. "Why don't we make sure that they get along even better?" The butler suggests, and I chuckle. He throws the spear at a rapid pace, seeming to be aiming for me who is right in front of their line. However, at the last minute I flip back and land on the flying spear and ride it. As soon as it hits the first brother, I push off and send it flying even further forward, over all pinning them to one of the large statues.

"You guys look better this way," I smirk out as I crouch on the head of the statue they're pinned to. My head snaps up just a little bit too slow, and I find a knife imbedded in my head. I fall off the statue and land with a sickening crunch, causing those around me- save my Tamer- to call out my name.

"Why didn't you help him Sebastian?!" Ciel demands.

"Damn it Merry! He was cool!" Alois growls out. "He was for Envy to play with!"

"Ahh well shit," Envy sighs out, "Now what am I supposed to do?" He spits out his cancer stick and stomps it out onto the chess board. "Thanks a lot you damn silver haired witch".

"With all due respect, Bocchan, I suggest you calm down," Sebastian sighs.

"Why should I?! You just let your own brother get killed!" Ciel snaps.

"Oh what a sad day it is! For a man to lose his brother is like losing his other half!" Viscount sighs oud dramatically.

By the way, how do I know all this is going on? Because, "Master, do you really doubt me so greatly?" I sigh out as I stand up and dust myself off. "Come now, that isn't even close to being able to kill me; you should know that". The blade that has so kindly placed itself in the middle of my forehead is taken out carelessly, and my darkness seals up the wound without a second thought. "That was boring," I tell the maid. "Throw harder next time will you?" I return her blade back to her at twice the speed she had thrown it, it cuts her pretty shoulder nice and deep making blood spill.

She gasps and holds her shoulder as blood seeps through her fingers, "Perhaps I'll just shoot you down then!" She pulls guns out of nowhere and begins to shoot at me like there's no tomorrow. When she runs out of bullets for those two guns, she pulls a gattling gun up from the floor and shoots at me with that.

"You know it's not polite to shoot at a dead man, correct?" Sebastian lightly corrects the woman. "Allow me to return the number of bullets you've shot at him as punishment". From there, there's a flurry of knives sent at the woman, dusting her and eventually pinning her to the ground. He and I step forward to look down at the pinned woman.

"Nice aim," I chuckle out, and look over my claws as though bored. "Shall we finish her off then?"

"I do not see why not," he agrees and smiles whilst showing that he's got plenty more knives than what he threw. As he throws and I lunge forward, two chess pieces are slid in front of us.

"Well damn, you don't need double team her," Envy speaks up from his position of pushing a slab of cement in front of me.

"I request a short break; it's tea time," Claude states from his own position to Sebastian. "I must start making snacks for my Master".

"It is that late," Sebastian concedes, "May I borrow your kitchen?"

I sigh and pull my arm out of the slab of cement that had been the point of my attack when it got in front of me. "A break? Very well," I sigh out, "If my Tamer says it's fine then so be it". I dust off my arm and look to what I impaled instead of the maid. There's a hole the size of my arm in it, and it crumbles. Not surprising really. I leave the board and come to my Master's side, flanking him while Sebastian and Claude make the snakes for their respective masters.

"That was an impressive attack back there, that last one," Envy speaks up from his own flanking position to Alois, a new cigarette hanging between his lips but having yet to be lit. "Not surprising seeing as you are a Syn. The strongest Syn out there to be specific. Your pack still doesn't know how your parents made you in the first place; they've tried recreating another you but none of their breeding programs are working.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair, blood red eyes meeting his dark brown ones, "Eh, it was by chance and hard work that I became this strong. No breeding or anything; my parents were weakest in the pack as it was". I shrug, "Call me a prodigy if you must. But those like me don't come along often. What about you, where do you stand in the Bless pack? Are you dogs?"

"No no," the man answers with a wave of his hand, metal claws still out just as mine are still extended. "We're actually foxes, believe it or not. I'm a fluke like you. Born of weak parents but am strong. You could call me a prodigy too, actually".

"The Bless pack is made of foxes?" That's something I didn't know, honestly.

"We're a younger pack so it's not surprising that you don't know much about us. But yes, we are a fox pack. But like you Syns, we've got multiple tails. The more tails, the stronger we are, of course".

"How many tails do you have?" I question.

"I've got nine; that's as high as we can go".

"Heh, I've got ten," I tell him casually, "That's the highest we can go as well". After a break where even then those two are competing, those two being my brother and Claude, and after the Viscount is done making everything seem over the top, the battle resumes. I lick my lips in anticipation. I wonder how long it will take a ten tailed wolf to kill a nine tailed fox?

"Shall we dance?" Sebastian offers to Claude, and I grin.

"Very well then," Claude states, and holds Merry close. For a second I was wondering what the hell he was doing, however once he's done shoving his arm down her throat, he pulls out a blade I haven't seen or heard of in a long time.

"Ahh, the ancient demonic sword of perpetual darkness, Levethian!" Sebastian coos.

"I think you asked him to dance, wrong brother," I laugh out lightly. "I'll give it a go". I look to my 'dance partner' and bow low, claws curled smoothly as I offer a hand. "Might I be honored to dance with you this evening?" I question of Envy.

"I can't say no to a request like that," he replies with a chuckle. The metal that makes up his claws becomes longer, to the point that they're as long as my own claws, and are those little thorns on them? Well then.

"Tamed. Take down your opponent no matter what," Sebastian states.

"Yes, Tamer," I crouch low, baring long fangs and splaying my claws.

"Slave, do not lose," Claude demands.

"Yes, Slaver," Envy replies, and falls into his own stance.

We take off at the same time, lashing out and snarling like the pair of dogs we are. Well...Wolf and fox but no matter. He lashes out at me with a glare in his eyes, a lash that I block with the back of my hand and counter attack with my other one. This he blocks, and we kick one another away. However, we don't stop there, ignoring all that is around us. Even our own masters. A kick here, a swipe there, a snarl and a yelp. Teeth come into the equation soon enough, and it's an all out battle royal. His blood is disgusting, tainted with spiders. I know now that not only is this fox the spider's slave, but also his sex toy. How wrong.

"Why do you listen to him," I spit out a chunk of Envy's arm, and it reforms with a burst of light. My opposite indeed. "I can smell and taste the taint in your blood. He's had sex with you many times after you became tamed. Can you not bring yourself to fight back?"

"I am his slave," Envy states, "And like any good slave, I love my slaver without any condition. I taste no crow in your blood; how can you not give yourself to your Slaver?"

"I am tamed, not a slave. The connection we have made is that of brothers. Unlike yourself and Claude. It's sick, the fact that you've let him penetrate you," I tell him.

"You know as well as I that there are plenty of gay demons. Are you so against that?" Envy snarls, shoving his claws into my gut, tearing them out and then repeating the action two more times.

I kick him away with a growl as my darkness heals me as though nothing had happened; I am perfectly fine. I follow up that kick with swipes of all kinds until finally my hand is shoved through his shoulder and under the collar bone, popping out on the other side. This breaks said collar bone, and my claws latch onto his back to create more damage. "I have no issues with male-to-male relationships, nor female-to-female. However, the sick part is the fact that you take it unconditionally. Even those who are normal gays produce some sort of relationship. You're nothing but a whore it seems".

"Like I care. The sex is good and I have a home. I love him, believe it or not," the Bless states with a growl and a grunt.

"You're an idiot. You put those who are tamed as well to shame. Stick up for yourself damn you," I growl, tripping him and pinning him to the ground.

"You say that as you pin me as though you were about to take me," Envy throws back.

"Please, I enjoy women way too much to even try a man," I sigh out. My head snaps up even as I hold him down, and I smell my Master's blood. "Ciel...What are you doing?"

"King Alois?" Envy's attention snaps to the mansion as well. "King Alois! Don't worry, I'm coming your Highness!" He struggles in my grasp.

"You're not going anywhere," I shove my fingers into his right lung, while my thumb claw points at his throat to make him stop struggling.

"Phobia, time to go; it seems that the ball is over for now," Sebastian states while running.

"Phobia! Make him let me go! I had him Phobia! I had Alois in the palm of my hand!" Ciel struggles.

I sigh, and pull my hand and fingers from Envy's person. I push off, and rush after Sebastian and a pissed off Ciel. "What happened?"

"Bocchan decided to leave on his own and challenge Alois to a sword duel. He cut up his own hand just to trap Alois and stab him in the stomach," Sebastian states. "Taste Ciel's blood. Tell me what it does to you," he tells me.

"...Why?"

"Some of his blood got onto Claude, and when he had a simple taste he fell into a trance like state. I left before anything else happened," Sebastian answers.

"I see...Excuse me, Master," I tell the boy and, after retracting my claws to their shortest state, run a finger along his bloody hand. I pop the digit into my mouth and I just about stumble with how...Wonderful it tastes. "His blood is divine; so pure. Like an angel's blood mixed with a virgin's".

"...And you know the taste of both things, how?" Sebastian questions with interest in his keen eyes.

"I've killed my fair share of angels in my day for various reasons. As for virgin blood, that's just a guess," I answer with a chuckle.

"Stop tasting my blood and take me back here this instant!" Ciel demands.

"Forgive me, Master, Sebastian is my Tamer. I ultimately answer to him," I smile out lightly, darkness gathering at my hands and recreating my gloves once more to hide my bone claws.

It is some time later that we get something new to do, and I feel as though something will be coming to an end so very soon. Perhaps it is the journey to restore Ciel's soul. Perhaps, it is the end of a life dear to me. Both refer to Ciel. No matter. The three of us sit in a carriage as we've headed out of our home. Ciel has orders from the Queen. Recently, boys of different classes have been having their eyes gouged out by an unknown being. Poor humans, they have so much to live for. We're on our way to investigate, of course. And in doing that, we're going to a victim's home. He is of a lower class, low-middle I think, with blond short hair and simple clothing.

"I told you! I don't know what exactly happened. Someone thrust their fingers into my eyes and everything went red. Now I can't see any more. I can't see anything ever," the boy states. Ciel is standing a few feet from the boy, Sebastian and I both flanking each of his sides silently as the boy does his duty as an 'evil noble'.

"Can you describe the culprit at least?" Ciel presses.

"He was a brat probably the same age as me," the boy answers, "He looked wealthy...Damn bastard!" He begins to cry, drips of blood sliding down his face in place of tears. I actually feel bad for the kid. I've had my eyes gouged out before and it was weird being blind for the whole two seconds it took my darkness to make me a new pair.

We continue this nonsense for a good part of the day. Going from victim's house to victim's house asking the same thing and getting he same answers. A wealthy boy it seems. I sigh. What kind of rich kid wants to collect eyeballs?

"They're taunting us," Ciel smirks out.

"Eh?" I question.

"If you connect the Phantomhive house to the Trancy house, and then the crime scenes, you get a cob web. This is all his doing," Ciel states, oh so sure of himself.

"Perhaps it is the butler acting on his own," Sebastian offers as well.

"So he survived...I have to admit he's good," Ciel smiles to himself. "Tell me, a butler will always be honest with their Master, correct?"

"That is correct," Sebastian confirms.

"Very well...Are you keeping anything from me regarding Alois Trancy?" Ciel's gaze is hard. But, unfortunately for him, his question was worded wrong. This I and my Tamer know.

"No, I am hiding nothing from you about Alois Trancy," Sebastian answers honestly. And he's really not.

"Then, my-" the boy is cut off as I take a hold of him and Sebastian and I jump away from the explosion that was supposed to hit us. I glare over my shoulder as we come to an opened box. "The Spider butler!" Ciel assumes.

"No, I smell no spiders," I tell him as I place him into the box.

"It stinks," he whines.

"Yes, spiders do stink," I chuckle out.

"Please deal with it for now until we return," Sebastian requests.

"If you need to, breathe through your mouth. I hear that works too," I tell him with a grin.

"Why?" Ciel questions me.

"Please stay in here and don't come out no matter what," Sebastian tells Ciel as he closes the box. "I see," he mutters as we take off. "So they used the Queen's orders to lure us out, and then attack us".

"They being those who deal with things when souls are annoying to deal with," I add on.

"Exactly!" A lawn mower heads for our forms, and we jump out of the way to leave. The Shinigami we see is on the younger side, early twenties at most. His hair is blond on the top and black on the bottom, with him wearing goggle-glasses that rest on his face and in front of his yellow-green eyes. My Tamer tosses a knife into the lawn mower, causing it to die on the boy, which he doesn't seem too bothered by

"Oh? It seems we are meeting for the first time," Sebastian greets.

"That we are. I'm John Knox, die!" He poses in a way that reminds me of Grell and I blink stupidly. He sighs, "Ahh, sorry about that. That was seriously stupid. My senior Grell told me that I needed a catch phrase so I got one of the desk girls to make me one".

"Yea, catchphrases are stupid over all," I tell him with a shrug and a grin.

"Don't worry, you and your catchphrase will be gone soon enough," Sebastian pleasantly smiles out.

"We'll see about that!" Will appears behind us, using his hedge clippers to get us to move.

"You're here too? Good to see you again," I wave casually.

"I knew you two were part of this, Sebastian Michaelis and Phobia Syn," Will sighs. "Because of Grell, I have to work over time".

"So Alois Trancy is dead then? You couldn't pick up his soul?" I question.

"It would appear as that's exactly what is going on," Sebastian answers me for Will.

"We should get a move on...Ciel's scent isn't where we left him" I tell him.

"So he didn't go along with my request...Let's get going; he's called for me," Sebastian states and takes off.

"Sorry guys," I dodge the lawnmower, "I've gotta catch up with my brother".

"Are you trying to hit me as well, Ronald Knox? A Shinigami should be able to use their weapon with accuracy. Are those glasses for show?" Glasses?...I take this moment to lunge and use a finger to knock off the Shinigami's glasses. Huh...So they've got really bad eye sight. Wonder why? None the less, I sink into my shadow and hop out of Sebastian's only to dodge a blade claw.

"Good evening, Envy," I greet pleasently.

"Evening," he smiles back, and lunges.

"You wouldn't happen to know where my Master is, would you?" Dodge, dodge, kick, knee, elbow, headbutt.

"Ahh, he's with my Master right now, getting the attention he needs". Stumble from elbow, hold forehead from headbutt. Slash, punch, punch kick, turn kick, face, slash, slash, dodge, get hit by another elbow. Counter attack.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demand with narrowed eyes. Dodge some more, dance around his kick. Catch his fist and block those claws.

"Exactly what it means. I'm sure he's loving every second with my Master," Envy licks his lips. "Sebastain's right, we're not worthy to even lick his soul. But Hannah is also right, as that only counts when Ciel is perfect".

"What have to done to him?" I snarl, no longer wasting time and shoving a hand through his gut without the help of my claws. I hold him high above my head, ignoring the blood that drips on my face.

"Oh nothing. Just a bit of mind scrambling is all," the Hell Hound cackles lightly.

"Bastard!" I snarl again, and throw him over the edge of the building, racing in the direction I smell Sebastian to be. What I see though is not pleasant.

"This is an order: leave my sight!" Ciel demands, a putrid hate for Sebastian on his face.

"A butler must always obey his Master's commands," Claude taunts with a smile.

"Very well," Sebastian bites out, and turns to walk passed me without another word. I growl low in my throat, glaring at the demon and the Hell Hound that appears in a burst of light, and then turn to follow my Tamer. Our walk is silent until we've made it to the woods, and it is then that we let our anger forth if only a little bit. "I cooked the dinner too long. And this is the result. Now I have to serve it...But as a Phantomhive butler, I have to lean up some cobwebs". His black-green demonic energy laces his person as his eyes glow the signature magenta.

"I'll help you with that. There's a fox den that needs to be taken care of, and as the butler's wolf, I need to take care of it as soon as possible," I tell him. Darkness dances on my person like fire, and my shadow is angry and shivering it seems.

The next day is when we act, standing in the woods on Trancy grounds. Ever since last night we have been angry, and rather silent. It's wonder neither of us have lashed out at anything that we saw. However, we care calm and collected despite our silent anger. Sebastian makes the first move, breaking down the first tree with a mere push. I take down the second with nothing but a pull. We continue to take turns in taking down a part of the Trany ground trees just to get the attention of those we seek. I can smell Ciel there, and I'm sure that Sebastian can by far feel him there. No one takes a meal from my Tamer. No one. Our goal is met though as within a few minutes a certain spider and a fox come onto the walk way, standing on the other side of a circle of plants that separates us from them.

"Ahh, it seems like a storm has come through. Do not worry little birds, my Master has been assured that all will be fine," Claude coos ever so gently. He places the bird in the bush that separates us from them.

"These flowers would suit his Highness well, don't you think Master?" Envy coos as he picks one of the pink flowers for Claude, who places it in his hair.

"Yes, they would definitely suit my Master," Claude smiles to us as we merely stand there silent. However I know that Sebastian is tempted to take his life then and there. But not yet. Ciel has to be in the right of mind first. Lest things won't go right.

"Ahh I was right in letting that butler go! Pictures of Sebastian fighting for the sake of love! It makes my heart spin!~" A familiar voice speaks up. A tendril of darkness drags him out of his hiding place before he can even think about moving to a new one. Sebastian in the mean time picks up a pillar high over his head, that cold look still in his red eyes. "Sebastian! When did you get here?!"

"That's my line," the butler replies, and promptly drops the pillar onto Grell's face without a care. "Phobia. Take him; I will prepare a tea that will help heal is wound".

"Of course," I nod and pick the red head up, shouldering him like a sake of potatoes. We take off, and I set the red head down at the table Sebastian sets up in his usual efficient way.

"This is a tea that contains rock salt; which will help to heal your wound," he tells the Shinigami once he's up and moving. "I doubled what the tea calls for, and doubled it just again," he bends down and offers the man the cup. "Here you go". His smile is as it normally is when given to Ciel.

"Umm...For Sebas-chan to make tea just for me is en-," Grell tries.

"You don't want to upset him, do you?" I coo from my side of the table. I have my own tea- strawberry flavored leaves helping to make it up and permeate through the air.

"Well...No," Grell admits, and takes a sip only for scream out in pain. Salt really does wonders.

"Now, why don't you tell us further on what you were talking about earlier?" I smile out to him with a tilt of my head. "Something about letting that butler go?" Grell hunches in his seat a bit guiltily before sighing and letting up. From there, he explains everything that had gone down that he knows it.

"I see, so Claude killed Trancy when he was on his way to the Phantomhive manor," I mutter.

"Yes. His soul turned into a ring, thicker than blood or gold," Grell nods out, whincing as he takes another sip of his tea. "And then he thought up a ritual to make things work further for him".

"So he over wrote the two souls," Sebastian states.

"They're not fully fused together. But I still don't get it. Why are you so focused on that boy's soul? If you want something to eat there's much easier targets," Grell insists.

"That sounds like something someone else said," Sebastian smiles lightly.

"What?"

"The relaxed, slovenly face of that demon will show you the answer," are my Tamer's words. His eyes glare at the Trancy household, and I sneer at the sight. There's a call from the Trancy butler, and we stand. "Time to go Grell," Sebastian states, and takes off in the form of a graceful pose.

"Oh! I just remembered that I have an appointment at the salon!," Grell tries.

"Through out the rest of the day," I grin out, standing and smoothly walking up to Sebastian and hugging him close around his waist. I know that my Tamer isn't the only one the Shinigami has a thing for. Sebastian in turn tilts my head up and touches noses with me.

"We will be going eight more lovely poses," the black haired demon finishes for me. From there, we release one another and take off, Grell hot on our heels with a stupid grin on his face.

"Do we really have to pose like that?" I sigh out as we run.

"If we want to use Grell as we please, then unfortunately we do," he answers me and I grunt. It takes us little to no time at all to get to the town we know Alois to come from, ignoring its burnt down walls and the bones that litter the ground.

"What are we doing here?" Grell demands as we walk through a beaten down wall.

"Oh? Come right on over here, honored guests. I'll make your time a good one," a woman speaks up from the side, showing us a slender leg. However, seconds later she laughs, "I can't do it any more, I'm too old and tired".

"I thought this place was supposed to be deserted," I tilt my head.

"Everyone but me is gone," she answers. "It was destroyed by a demon".

"A demon?" Sebastian presses.

"I didn't believe it at first, but...I came to do just that. A boy named Luca had made a deal with a demon, but I was spared by him for helping him and being nice to him one day. He told me of his deal with a demon to make his bother's dream of everyone here dying come true in exchange for his soul. However when it happened- like I said I didn't believe him at first- I was spared. The demo-" she doesn't get to finish her story, as a bullet is sent through her forehead and she falls over dead. We look over our shoulders to find one of the triplets holding a smoking gun.

Sebastian looks my way "Phobia, fetch".

I grin and nod, reaching out with a hand and a tendril of darkness follows my silent command. It whips its way toward the trio before they can get away, wrapping around them as a spider would its prey and then hanging them upside down from the near by tree.

"Grell, if you would use your skills please," Sebastian continues to request.

"What? I'm not just some lackie you know," Grell huffs out.

"My, it sure is hot out today," Sebastian sighs out, running a hand through his hair ever so gracefully, and then giving Grell a rather compromising look.

"I'm pretty sure that that's just you," I smirk to him coolly, and step forward, opening up his jacket and button up shirt ever so slightly to run gloved fingers over his bare skin.

"Ohhhhhh! I can't stand it any more! Lovely man-love yes!" Grell coos and I mentally gag. I hate acting gay. I can do it as a joke verbally, but physically doing so is pushing it a bit too hard. The red head starts his death scythe of a chain saw and lunges forward, taking the lives of the triplets. Their Cinematic Records burst forth from their bodies.

"Huh, so that's who burnt this place down," Grell states as we learn that it was Claude that Luca made the deal with Claude to make Alois happy in turn for his soul.

"I figured that that is what happened," Sebastian states. It is then that we see Ciel helping that made, Hannah, up.

"But we never figured that that would happen," my eyes narrow. "Grell, we're done here".

"What?"

"You heard him, you're no longer needed," Sebastian backs me up as we turn to leave. From there, we take off at full speed. It takes us little time to make it to the Trancy household, however it's still night time when we make it there. My Tamer knocks, and instantly we take to our hiding places.

"Man, you're pretty damn good at hiding, ain't ya?" Envy coos out as he and Claude- who had answered the door in the first place- turn to look at Sebastian.

"Yes, I am actually," I state blandly as I step my way out of Sebastian's shadow, hands in my pockets.

"What are you doing here? Your orders-," Claude begins.

"My order was to not show myself in front of my Master. However, it doesn't go against those orders for me to be seen by just you two. We've come to return this," Sebastian pulls the tainted rose from his jacket pocket, taking a quick sample of its scent. He tosses the rose into the air towards the taller demon, and in a flash his fist is in the man's gut, sending in flying.

"What a surprise," Claude states as he picks himself up and puts his glasses back on after coming to a sliding stop on his back. "That a demon would break a sacred convent.

"You broke it first," I tell him, lunging forward and kicking Envy in the gut, sending him flying and into a rolling halt. "Bringing this guy into the game first of all; the deal was between the three of us".

"It was also supposed to be a struggle for his soul after he had gotten his revenge. And until then we could use one another as needed. Supposed to be," Sebastian states from his spot next to me.

"My, look at this...It's those spider mites that turn a flower's petals a bad color," Claude shows us the underside of the rose in his hand. "Insects have murdered my rose," as he speaks, it becomes gray and basically turns to dust which blows away in the wind that passes us by.

"Which means that the deal is null and void," I murmur.

"Human souls are so pure and white, up here in their world," Claude states.

"While there are creatures in hell that fester and rot down in Hell like an infected wound," Sebastian agrees.

"Demons get bored after such a long, long time, living immortally like they do," Envy sighs out, dropping his current cigarette to the ground and grinding it into the dirt to put it out.

"And to chase away that boredom, they fight," I smirk out.

"This isn't just about Ciel Phantomhive's soul any more," Claude states, fixing his gloves.

"No, not any more. This is much more personal," Sebastian copies the man.

"This is gonna be a blast," I smirk out, taking off my gloves and cracking my neck.

"You said it. To first blood then?" Envy suggests.

"I'd rather not play 'tag'," I sigh out, "To whomever kills whomever first".

"If that's how you wanna play, then so be it," Envy sighs out. Those barbed blade claws of his show their metallic selves while my own claws extend to their full length before we clash much like we had on the chess board. We snarl and go at it like two starved beasts fighting over a pile of carrion food. I won't even bother to tell you what all goes down during the fight word for word or attack for attack. That'd be boring. However I will say this; we're pretty damn even. The only time we stop though, is when something interesting stops the other two.

"Sebastian! Sebastian!" Ciel calls out.

"It seems you're being called for," Claude taunts, "You've been spotted".

"Sebastian help me! Help me Sebastian! Sebastian!" Ciel continues.

"Order-disobeying Sebastian Michaelis, you are no longer a butler!" Claude declares ever so proudly.

"Sebastian I'll fall! I'll fall if I reach the top! And I will reach the top! Help me Sebastian!" Is another round of calls. However, his tone is wrong. It's too needy and too easily seen as bait.

"That's not our Master," I state, licking some of Envy's blood from one of my claws as before 'Ciel' started calling out I had shoved my hand through his stomach and thrown him over my shoulder.

"He's right. That's not Bocchan," Sebastian states, moving from the place he had tried to hide in when he thought that that was indeed Ciel. "That is...,"

"Claude," Hannah appears out of no where, hands clasped in front of her, "Master is". Ahh, so she did something to make Alois become Ciel...Or Ciel become Alois ...Or something like that. "Currently controlling Ciel Phantomhive's body. The soul that Ciel had taken in had been sleeping, waiting ever so patiently for his time. And, using his eye as a medium, used a crack in Ciel's mind to take over. He's currently holding the body hostage".

"And why don't we just kill you to make him turn back?" I tilt my head, words cruel.

"If you kill me, he will-"

"I'll fall!" Alois in Ciel's body calls out.

"While Master has Ciel's body, we cannot lift a finger," Claude tells the rest of us.

"Sebastian! Save me!"

"While his body is being held hostage and you cannot lift a finger, perhaps you can offer up your minds," Hannah states.

"Our minds?" Envy raises a brow.

"You'll traverse through the maze that is Master's heart to get to him, engraving his feelings into your soul," she leaves us with that, and appears at 'Ciel's' side.

We on the other hand appear at the entrance of the maze. "This is stupid," I sigh out.

"Collecting stamps as we go along? What is this, a human kiddy game?" Envy agrees with me.

"We will not let them so much as lick Bocchan's soul. Right, Phobia?" Sebastian eyes me.

"Of course brother. No one takes our Master's soul from you," I nod out.

"Come to me! Embrace me to the ends of the earth!" Ugh, Alois in Ciel's body is annoying as all hell.

"The only thing I'll embrace is Ciel Phantomhive's soul," Claude states firmly.

"That's utterly disgusting," Sebastian takes off.

"What? He's hungry," Envy defends, and we take off as one.

The maze is one made of roses of multiple colors and sizes and scents. And it's not long until we come to the first stamp. I tilt my head towards the box and run a hand through my hair- gloves on once more.

"First question," Claude reads out.

"What is Alois Trancy's real name?" Envy continues.

"Tch. Easy. His real name is," I begin with a rolling shoulder shrug.

"Jim Macmacken". Sebastian states. However, there's a sound of a buzzer, and we're wrapped up in thorny tendrils that pick us up.

"Eh? But we were right," I squirm, kicking my legs with a huff.

"I see, a rose maze with evil spirits possessing the plants. Wrong. Alois Trancy's name is as it appears; Alois Trancy," Claude answers the question and there's a dinging sound. A wall of thorns and flowers becomes a pathway.

"The kid makes up the rules here, guys," Envy chuckles out as he and Claude continue on their way. What? The kid makes up the rules? Tch.

The two walk up to the table that holds the stamping station and once they've collected the first one they're on their way. The tendrils move to wrap around us more. Sebastian and I struggle against the tendrils, I myself give a growl or two.

"Ahh how wondrous! Those looks of pain! It's like you two are martyrs of love!" Grell appears out of literally nowhere with a camera in hand again and a grin across his face.

"Shut up Grell," I sigh, and with a sharp tendril of darkness I cut myself free. Another sharp tendril does the same for my Tamer. And we're off with Grell at our tail for some odd reason. It doesn't take us long to make it to the next question.

"Question: Unsullied by Earl Trancy, Alois Trancy wanted a beautiful death with a pure body," Sebastian reads aloud. Before us are two doors, one with an X and the other an O.

"Huh? What's with this?" Grell tilts his head.

"Well, normally the answer would be no," I sigh out, "But I'm guessing it's a yes".

"According to the trend of the last question, I agree," Sebastian nods to me. "Grell, you'll fly for us, won't you?"

"'Fly?' What's that supposed to-," he doesn't get a chance to answer as Sebastian picks him up bridal style which sends him into over load. However that's fixed as he's sent flying through the door with the X. He's promptly blown up.

"Haha! I was right!" I grin, and kick down the door with the O on it, hearing a 'correct' bell as a result.

"The answers are manipulated by the hand of the Master. What a meaningless game," Sebastian huffs out.

"Please, we'll win no matter what," I assure, "Let's have some competative fun with this brother. Even if they win, if you order me to kill them, I will. It's no biggy even if you cant' step in; I've got your back".

"Have I ever told you how much I regret not accepting you earlier on in your joining my side?" Sebastian questions me with a light smile.

"No, but thanks," I grin out, playfully baring my fangs to him. Things go on, and we continue to struggle our way through the maze question after question. However, at some point the maze changes. It's my turn to read the question we've come to. "Question: Has Ciel Phantomhive already achieved his revenge?...Eh? Master?"

"This question...," Sebastian purses his lips. "Is the answer...Yes?" That it is, and the way to the next stamp is given to us. He stamps our book, and I tilt my head. "Peter Rabbit; a common item of Funtom Corporation".

"So, Master is fighting too huh?" I look in the direction of the body with currently two souls in it.

"Bocchan...," Sebastian mutters, and we continue on our way. The next question is also from Ciel's mind. "Question: Why was Ciel Phantomhive's soul not eaten by Sebastian Michaelis?"

"Because of the contract," I state as the butler removes his left glove to show the contract mark on his hand. "Sebastian lost his arm, and while targeting the small amount of time that he lost the contract Claude stole his soul". Ha! I'm awesome, the answer's correct. To say least that the rest of the answers we had to, well, answer were easy as all hell. I don't know about Claude's and Envy's but our questions all had to do with Ciel himself. We had an all too easy time getting to the final question. However, again things were changed up. We met up with Claude and Envy.

"Sebastian! Sebastian!" A welcomingly familiar voice calls out. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh. He saw you. He saw you," Claude taunts from his hanging spot in the hole in the floor that he was going to fall through if he hadn't grabbed a hold of the edge. He pulls himself out, Envy apparently had been attached to his feet as he comes out with him.

"You went against his orders for real now; there's nothing you can do," Envy taunts Sebastian.

"Sebastian! What do you think you're doing? No matter, what, you'll always be my butler! This is an order: devour my soul already!" Ciel demands.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian all but beams as he kneels, and I actually do beam. However, something changes.

"Hahahahaha! Devour his soul? Sebastian will? Claude will? Forget this game! I've found those who love me," Alois speaks up with a crazed grin. He turns to face Hannah, and he walks away with her, "Let us leave, Hannah," he tells her, and they leave through a hidden door.

"What...Just happened?" My brows furrow.

"Looks like Hannah plans on over writing both contracts and turning it into her own," Envy answers me.

"Do you know what this means?" Sebastian looks to Claude.

"We know who the current enemy is," Claude agrees wordlessly, and they take off.

"O-oi! Sebastian, are you kidding me! How can a Crow and a Wolf team up with a Spider and a Fox?" I call after him, exasperated. I hate it when he doesn't consult me.

"Tamed! Until Bocchan is safe, we will work with them!" Sebastian calls over his shoulder sternly.

"Gah! As you command, Tamer," I sigh out with a simple bow and then shoot off at a speed that allows me to be on Sebastian's heels. "You better be right about this temporary alliance, brother".

"The hell?! No way am I working with a wolf, Master!" Envy runs after us.

"Slave, you'll do as you're told," Claude states calmly.

"Tch. Fine," the fox sighs out. It is moments later that we begin to have to fight off tentrils of thorn covered plants that attack us. "Alois would think something like this up".

"The kid's annoying," I growl out, easily ridding myself of a vine that tries to wrap around me. It doesn't take us long to get to the door that Alois and Hannah had walked through, and it takes us even less time for us to find them.

"Bocchan!" The two butlers call as one.

"Don't call me that any more," Alois states, pushing away from Hannah whom had been embracing him. "I've found someone who loves me," his right eye's seal switches from Sebastian's to Claude's, to a blue- I'm assuming that's Hannah's- one, back to Claude's, then Sebastian's and then back to Hanna's apparent one. "I...I'm happy...Now," he sways as he walks towards us, tears dripping from his eyes and a smile on his face. "I don't need either of...You," it's after this that that he passed out, however Hannah caught him.

"I have contracted both Alois' and Ciel's souls," Hannah states, "Over writing both seals that had been made to each of you. Master is mine now, and so is Bocchan," she answers, a cool smile on her face.


	13. Chapter 13

I sigh as I sit at the feet of my Tamer on a rather familiar boat for the second time. It's a larger boat than usual to accommodate for all of us, but no matter. On the left side of the end of the boat, Sebastian rows, and Claude does the same on the right. Envy is sitting at Claude's feet as well. Laying in the belly of the boat, at Hannah's sitting form is Ciel's sleeping body. Her voice sings out a song that I hadn't heard in years. Alois Trancy had contracted Hannah while controlling Ciel Phantomhive's body, therefore making Ciel unable to resurface. Apparently, the contract between Alois and Hannah is mostly a secret save for the fact that he plans on either Claude or Sebastian ending his life. This will somehow fulfill the contract between Hannah and Alois, therefore freeing Ciel from Alois' hold. If we kill Hannah, Ciel will live again. That's what we learned before we left for our destination. Over all, Hannah has the upper hand for now.

"This is an island of death, a sanctuary for demons," Claude speaks up once we're on solid ground with Alois-Ciel in Hannah's arms. The four of us stand before her on this death filled land of black and gray and rubble. "Two someones released their anger in the form of demonic energy and destroyed the place".

"They did a pretty good number on it, Sebastian Michaelis, Phobia Syn," Envy grins to us.

"What exactly are we doing here?" I tilt my head, ignoring the two.

"Sebastian and Claude will perform an official demon's ritual here," the woman answers, laying Alois-Ciel down on a bench and stroking his forehead as she kneels at his side and doesn't take her eyes from him. Another duel? How boring. And so, once Sebastian has Leviathan pulled from Hannah's form, she stabs it into a mid point in the roof above us in the cave that we stand in- green crystals glow light for us to use to see.

"No wounds can take a demon's life. However, if wounded by this sword, they never heal. And if cleaved away by it, a demon's soul is done for," Hannah shortly explains.

Three of the four of us take off our gloves, but only one out of four of us actually has a purpose for doing so. My claws come to their full length as I crouch at Sebastian's side, a low growl emitting from my throat. I see Envy release his barbed blade claws, and slide into his own fighting stance. The fight begins. And while the butlers' fight is much more graceful by the sound of things, mine and Envy's is much more...Animalistic. We charge at one another without a second thought and duke it out through and through. Sounds of any other canine based animal comes from our lips as claws and fangs meet flesh and bone. Hands are shoved through lungs and guts, however those wounds take no time to heal. Even as Sebastian decides to crack the entire island and send it into chaos, we don't pay attention to things around us. Crashing into walls and snarling as we go. The only time we stop is when...

"Claude!" The smell of my Tamer's enemy's blood travels through the air.

"You're not going any where!" I howl after the fox hell hound, and race after him. We bounce this way and that, heading further and further into the depths of the island, into a crevice that has been created thanks to Sebastian's doing.

"No!" Red stains the dark rock, and crouching above a dead body is my victorious Tamer. Envy's body erupts in a bright light that seems to flow around him like a never ending ocean. And when the light is gone, in his place is a not so different yet different being. From his tail bone has sprouted nine tails the color of his hair, tipped in black with matching ears. The metal that had made up his barbed claws now look like my own, sprouting from his wrists and doubling his fingers' length. As I race at his side, I can see fangs that are much too big for his jaw, over lapping his lower lip without a care. His sclera have become black, and his eyes are glowing that signature magenta with slitted pupils. His legs have become like that of an animal's back legs, his knees turning backwards to do this and his feet becoming larger and longer so that he's basically walking on his clawed toes. His red hair, once windswept yet slightly messy, is wild and ragged like the rest of him. His vest and pinstripe shirt are gone, and so are his slacks and shoes. Replacing both are red furred paws and fox legs, the fur almost like pants when it comes to his groin area. "Die Sebastian Michaelis!" He demands, his voice lower and gravelly. A clawed hand lashes forward, swiping at the air and beams of light follow his gesture. Sebastian's head snaps to the side upon hearing this declaration, and I take the duty of protecting him with a wall of darkness.

"I don't think so!" I snarl out. I find no reason to fall into my true form. I can take this guy down without it.

"If you're going to get in my way, then you go down first!" Envy turns to rush at me full blast.

"That was the plan!" I roar out, and our bodies clash again, the result sounding like thunder almost. In the mean time, Sebastian goes to take care of Ciel; I wonder how he'll turn out? I grunt as a hand slams into my cheek via a metal covered fist, and I slam into a wall creating a crater. A hand then sends itself half way through my gut and then basically liquifies my innards through rapid claw movement. Not a good feeling at all. The hand is pulled out, and then shoved all the way through my body, while the other hand wraps around my face and pulls my head and therefore my torso closer to him. My liquified organs spill out the hole that he makes bigger by pulling my torso up to his shoulder and then letting me slide off like some slab of badly cut up meat. My body hits the ground like rotten meat, and my blood's all over the place for a moment or two. In this time, Envy makes his way for my Tamer. I snarl and sink into my shadow only to appear from his and take him down from behind.

"You're still alive without releasing yourself?" Envy gets up from his downed spot. "How?"

"Tch, I don't need my true form to take you down," I growl out, bone claws splayed. However, he quickly proves me wrong. I sigh and purse my lips as once again I get thrashed around at the speed of light. It's been going on like this for the passed ten minutes and it's getting rather boring. Sebastian didn't have to take to his true form to take down Claude, but he did have to in order to take down Ash...Then again I think if the fight had lasted longer, they would have taken to their true forms. My head is ground into the earth below me harshly and again I sigh. Fine. My muscles relax and a burst of power bounces Envy away from me. "Fine. I'm tired of this," I sigh out. Darkness dances around me like wild fire, and my body shifts. I have to admit that my form isn't too different from Envy's own- sorry if you're disappointed. Ten blue, red and white tails sprout from my tail bone, my knees become backwards and my feet become paws. My ears are now atop my head and black, and my eyes glow the signature magenta. It's as though I'm wearing eyeliner, as my eyes are surrounded by a thick black line on my water lines. Bone claws stay, going from red and black to all black, and fangs become longer to the point of over lapping my lower lip. Where my heart once was, there is a hole that goes through my body even though I don't bleed out. Longish red hair now goes to my butt, fading from the original reds to to light blue and then darker until the tips are black. No longer do I wear that black suit with a red button up shirt underneath. Instead, on my person is simply a pair of red baggy pants that fit loosely around my waist, leaving my entire torso bare. With the help of my new legs, which under the pants are covered in black fur if my bare paws are any sign, I stand at a new height of 6'9". I grew a whole eight inches.

"That's all you've got? You're nothing but show!" Envy laughs out at me. "It's like nature has made you look strong but you really aren't!"

"Hmm," I tilt my head before rushing him at a speed that I didn't have in my human form. As Envy laughs his smug mug, my fist finds itself in his mouth causing him to choke and fly back. It is now that as I look around that I realize something interesting. "This island is sinking...Thanks a lot brother," I grumble and run a clawed hand through my hair. A dusting of bullets made of light come my way, only for me to simply dodge most of them and raise a singe shadow here and there, some near me and others just above him. The bullets of light enter the shadows near me, and disappear in them only to reappear by dusting my opponent. He screams in shock and pain and I sigh. "Hey Envy!" I call.

"What?!" He demands as he pushes himself to his feet.

"I'm gonna finish this. Sorry but you're gonna join your Tamer at the bottom of this ocean," I tell him with a shrug.

"I refuse to die until Sebastian's beating heart is crushed in the palm of my hand!" Envy snarls.

"Yea...You see, that's where we differ. You let your Tamer get killed, but I'm not about to let the same thing happen to mine," I tell him casually. I smirk, fangs glinting in the light we're working with. "I'd say we have about a minute until this island is completely done for. So how about this? We each use one last attack in our current states. The one who gets a fatal blow is left to die, and the one who wins can do whatever they want with the body whether they're still alive or not. Deal?"

"Deal! You're going down! I refuse to let that bastard live!" Envy snarls.

"Wrong. I'm the one who won't let you live," I state back with a growl rumbling from my chest.

"You won't survive this. No one has!" Envy insists as he clasps his hands together as though holding a ball in the middle of them. Instead of a real ball though, there's an orb of light that seems to hold a heat comparable to the intensity of the sun. The light that breaks through the cracks between his fingers is honestly blinding, however I don't look away. Now, with one hand around this orb and his arm winding up like he's a baseball pitcher, he throws it at me, its speed rather impressive for something so small yet dense.

"That's all you've got?" I mutter to myself as the small orb about the size of his fist flies towards me. There's a snap of my fingers, and a dome of darkness appears around me, keeping me safe from the light that is really starting to overwhelm my eyes. However, with this translucent dome of darkness, I can easily snap my fingers- and I do- and another shadow portal appears in front of me. My other set of fingers snap, and behind Envy one last shadow portal appears behind him. At the last second, the orb of light enters the shadow, and makes its way through the portals as though burning a path through space itself. It slams into Envy's back with a rage like no other, and the man screams in agony. There's an explosion, and I have to make a boat of darkness so that I don't fall into the water. Luckily for me, as the light finally goes away and I can uncover myself from my dome, I see that Envy is sprawled out in the water, having yet to sink. With a paddle of darkness in my hand, I lead my boat to his downed form. I pull him onto my boat letting him rest on the floor. "Looks like I win," I grin out.

"So it does," Envy sighs, blood dribbling from his mouth, "Do with me what you will". His downed body is limp and battered, his nine tails soaked to the core and his claws chipped and cracked.

"Oh trust me, I will," I crouch as in this state I can't really kneel, cooing to him. His eyes watch me carefully as I let my claws trail down his bare chest ever so gently. Even as I touch him as gently as I can, my claws still leave red lines as they go lower and lower. My hand, upon reaching his waist, runs along his hip until I reach under him and grab at the base of one of his nine tails.

"...No," Envy's eyes widen, his eyes filled with fear. I don't know if anyone knows this, but I don't have the name Phobia for nothing. I'm very good at finding someone's deepest fear, and then acting on it in just the right way. My mind is twistedly sadistic when I allow it to be. This fox's fear...Is losing all the tails he had worked so hard in obtaining. After all, a Hell Hound is first born with one tail, and the stronger they get the more tails they obtain. "Please no, anything but that. Not my tails," he whimpers out through a bubble of blood that pops on his lips.

"Ahh," I smile out cruelly," but we agreed that the winner could do whatever they pleased to the losers body whether they were alive or not".

"I know I know! But please! Have mercy! Not my tails! Anything but my tails!" Envy weakly squirms in an attempt to get away, rocking the boat as he does so. His tails try to lash out, however the best they can do is wiggle.

"No can do. A deal's a deal. Just because you're not a man of your word, doesn't mean I'm not," that said, with a sharp jerk and the sound of ripping skin and popping bones, the first tail is gone. Envy screams in agony, a song that I haven't allowed myself hear in much too long. The tail thrashes as though it has a mind of its own and is looking for its owner. However, I toss it into the water. "Ready?" I ask him as I grab at tail number two. He screams as I grab the base of the tail, and thrashes wildly. "Oi! Stop it!" I demand, firmly placing my free hand on his chest and planting him in place, tendrils of darkness helping me to get him to stop by wrapping around his waist, neck, wrists and ankles and pinning them down. "Sit back and enjoy the pleasure of an agonizing death," I taunt him even as he still tries to thrash. With the same sickening ripping sound of flesh, and the cracking-popping sound of bone, another tail comes from his person, and I'm covered in more blood. "Your blood reeks of spider. What'd you do, have sex until the cows went home before you and Claude made your big move? Disgusting," I shutter, and throw the tail over my shoulder. The process of taking away the last seven tails was similar to the first two times. Him thrashing, me pulling off the tail and making a rude comment, him crying in agony. Me waiting for his cries to calm down, and then the process begins again. It only stopped after I took the last tail. "That was as tedious as plucking feathers off a chicken," I sigh, but I'm pleased despite my words. His screams of pain are like a lullaby.

"Kill me...Kill me...Kill me...Please...Kill me," the demon begs.

"Of course I'll kill you," not. A demon cannot die by any wound. We are forced to live through even the worst of pain. I think we can starve to death, but I've never heard of such a thing so I'm unsure. Then again, without a heart one cannot live. So I guess I'll end up killing him...Meh. I pick him up by his throat, the tendrils of darkness that had been pining him down releasing him upon my command. "It was nice knowing you. Time to join Claude. Send him my regards will you?" I smile pleasantly, the sight of me smiling not at all that pleasant. My right hand is shoved through his chest and comes out of his back holding his heart. I pull my hand and his heart back through his front and then crush his throat in the hand holding it. His heart is sputtering in my hand, however as I look to my victim I see sightless eyes. Aww he died before he got to see his own heart. I sigh, and look to the hole where my heart should be. I don't know why I don't have a heart- I used to have one, but when I earned my tenth tail I went through this transformation of power and lost it. Is that the price of being the strongest of my kind? To not have a heart even in human form? A shame really. But it is a shame I have learned to live with, and even embrace. Carelessly I toss Envy's body over the edge of my boat, "Sweet dreams, fox," I tell him. And from there I continue on my way.

Where I end up a few days later is a place I predict to run into Sebastian at some point. I want to know if Ciel has been eaten yet or not; I assume he has been. The island that I'm currently dwelling on is covered in nothing but black, white, and blood colored roses. Every now and then a gust of wind will come along and take petals of all three colors and lead them into a dance in the wind. It's the third day that I begin to hear familiar voices, and I sit up with a raised brow, and then eventually stand.

"He's here too?" Ciels voice speaks up as he looks my way from the area they walk through maybe five yards from me.

"Oh? You're still alive, Master?" I raise a brow. "Sebastian, what happened?" Not at all that sensitive about it, bit I figured that Sebastian was gonna eat his soul as soon as he saved him.

"Alois' contract was for his soul to be taken by Hannah, and for no one to be able to have Ciel's but also have him live. He has been reborn a demon," Sebastian states simply.

I look the boy over as I stand, my body long since gone back to my normal human form, however I've decided to keep my claws extended and therefore my hands uncovered for a good while. The boy's eyes are red, just like Sebastian's and my own, the pupils slit. Magenta flashes at me for a second, and my eyes are drawn to the...Faustus contract that's still in his right eye. My brows furrow. "Why do you still have the contract?" I ask him.

"I ordered him to always be my butler," Ciel states, "While I was human. He acknowledged it. His my butler for all eternity".

"A blessing for a curse," I sigh out, "You sure know how to pick them, Tamer".

"Apparently I do, Tamed," Sebastian states. "You will be his guardian for all eternity, just as I am his butler".

I smile, "I can deal with that. As you command, Tamer".

* * *

_And there you have it folks, the story of Phobia and his life as the tamed Hell Hound of Sebastian. I know this was a little on the short side, however this is more of an Epilogue if nothing else. I hope you enjoyed reading my work, as I had a fun time writing it! _


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